For weeks now I had been hearing of this miraculous
animated film called "The Triplets of
Belleville". I had been hearing how it was
unlike anything ever created and how it was surely the
best animated film of the year. Having already seen
"Finding Nemo", I knew this feat would be hard
to top. Alas, "The Triplets of Belleville"
not only surpasses the creativity and story of
"Finding Nemo", but smashes it into a million
pieces and makes Pixar look more like Strong Bad.
This film begins in Paris, France, with a boy, a dog, a
grandmother, and a Metro. The dog barks, the Metro
runs on schedule, the grandmother blows her whistle, and
the boy becomes the best bicyclist in the world.
However, the boy is kidnapped by criminals who want to use
him in a gambling scheme. The keys to his rescue are
the Triplets of Belleville, former music hall stars.
If that plot summation seems a little short winded and
confusing, that's because I wanted the review to reflect
the film, and the film is a manic collection of animated
sequences that are as haunting as they are beautiful.
As Roger Ebert put it, "imagine Felix the Cat with
firecrackers attached to his tail". That sums
this little picture up nicely.
The star of this film is the animation. I have never
seen animation like this before. It reminded me of
the old Disney shorts, like "Steamboat Mickey",
but fused with a little of Tim Burton's vision and the
pace of a "Run Lola Run". I am not going
to say that the storyline reveals any fundamental truths
about people and society, or that this film will bring you
to tears or to contemplate life or death. It isn't
suppose to do that. But, somehow, you do manage to
take a little of all of those with you out of the theatre.
I found myself glued to my seat and mesmerized with this
film, in awe over scenes that are as eerie as they are
breathtaking.
Should "The Triplets of Belleville" win the
Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Yes.
There are a lot of people out there who will disagree with
me because the film does lack as much heart and as much
story as "Finding Nemo", but I would say that
creativity and inspiration should count for more than
A-list vocal talents and hundreds of millions in revenue.
This film should be judged for what it is -- the most
unique animated film of the year, and the most lasting.
It stays with you longer.
