The Triplets of Belleville

OK, I gotta admit, I wanted to see this film and I didn’t.

It looked like a wonderful piece of animation, and a lot of my cartoonist buddies raved about it. But then again, it’s in French, about bicycling and prominently features a vaudeville era singing sister act.

My in-laws loaned us their copy though, so my wife and I checked it out, and I’m glad I did.

I was first struck by the beautiful animation and style! It’s certainly original, I don’t know that I’ve ever seen anything quite like it.

The story is about a cyclist, his mother and the mob. (Check out IMDB or Amazon if you really want to know the plot and other particulars.) It’s slow, and about halfway through I wasn’t sure I was going to end up liking it, but by the end I’d really sort of relaxed into the pace and just thoroughly enjoyed the entire film!

There’s really very little language to get in the way, and it’s probably the most original thing in animation since Toy Story! Check it out!