The Triplets of Belleville

Starring:Michel Robin, BÃ©atrice Bonifassi, Jean-Claude Donda, Lina Boudreault, Mari-Lou Gauthier, Monica Viegas, Charles Linton, MichÃ¨le Caucheteux
Director: Sylvain Chomet
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Words cannot capture the delights of The Triplets of Belleville, an astonishing animated movie from the mind of French director Sylvain Chomet. In fact, there are only a few spoken sentences in the entire film; most of the soundtrack is a mix of squeaks, barks, and the jazzy music of Benoit Charest. A bicyclist is kidnapped from the Tour de France by mysterious gangsters; his grandmother travels to the city of Belleville (which has a sardonic version of the Statue of Liberty in its harbor), where she tracks him down with the help of a musical trio gone to seed, the Belleville Triplets. This hand-drawn movie is unlike anything you'll see from Disney; every scene mixes the silent comedy of Jacques Tati and Buster Keaton--in which the world of objects subtly fights with living beings for mastery--and the bouncy hop of Betty Boop. Unique and mesmerizing. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Triplette Fun.......2007-06-08

This is one of my favorites of all time. You don't have to know any language to understand what is going on. The little aspects of life in the cartoon are so commonplace that it makes it easy for a wide range of people to relate to the dog, grandma, etc. And the music is so fun.

The wonderful darkess of toe tapping laughter.......2007-05-17

I loved the Triplets of Belleville. If you want a negative review look somewhere else. I fully expected to be the movie of the year. Honestly! But then I think animated actors are much more fun than live ones. It's dark. I like dark. It has some really funny twisted sequences. I like that. The dog is wonderful. The Tour de'France scenes are wonderful. The music? It'll get into your brain and play on forever. Did I tell you I liked this movie?

Incredible.......2007-05-16

For those who like animation or foreign movies that tells a story with art this is THE movie.
With almost no dialogues and so many expression from this old ladies you can capture all the emotion.
I just wish it had extras from the production of the movie.

One of the best.......2007-05-02

This is simply one of the best animated movies to come out in...ever? As an artist, I know something is great when it goes beyond inspiring me in my work and instead leaves me paralyzed! Had to sit on my hands for a few days after this, and have seen it many times over. Who cares what the story is when the drawing is this good?

"What have you got to say to Grandma?".......2007-04-25

"The Triplets of Bellville" (2003) - is an extraordinary, original, inventive animated film with the simple and touching story and the unusual characters. There are a loving, brave, and creative grandmother, Madame Souza, and her orphaned grandson, Champion, one of the best French cyclists, their old faithful dog Bruno, evil gangsters-kidnappers with the huge square shoulders, the titular triplets of Bellville, the eccentric singers-sisters, once jazz-era divas and now three batty old women still in jazz business with the most unusual musical instruments and favorite foods.

When Champion is kidnapped by gangsters and taken across the Ocean to the City of Bellville, Madame Souza and Bruno, without hesitation follow his trail. In Bellville, they meet the triplets and together they will find out the mystery behind Champion's disappearance that would take them to an underground betting parlor that is run by the dangerous mafia.

"The Triplets of Bellville" is certainly the film like no others. Its images and details are highly original, often charming, sometimes, grotesque and even ugly, and funny without being pretty and they (images) tell the story because the film has no dialogue. The original song, "Belleville Rendez-Vous" was literally the breath of fresh air that waked me up during the rather predictable and monotonic Oscar's ceremony of that year. The film is a clever satire that makes fun of the stereotypes, French and American, but it never forgets the story it tells and its main idea which is true, powerful and unconditional love that would help to cross the Ocean, to fight the dangerous gangsters and to bring back home the beloved little boy who is not little anymore but who needed the help and love from his incredible grandmother and her oddball friends. Sylvain Chomet dedicated the film to his parents. I don't know his biography but I am sure that wherever they are, his parents should be very proud of him and happy to receive such a wonderful gift from their boy.

Average customer rating:

Not what I expected, and that's OK!
Astounding!
A beautiful story

The Triplets of Belleville
Starring: Michel Robin , Béatrice Bonifassi , Jean-Claude Donda , Mari-Lou Gauthier , and Monica Viegas
Director: Sylvain Chomet
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

General | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Triplets of Belleville
The Triplets of Belleville

ASIN: B0001OKTLK

Customer Reviews:

Not what I expected, and that's OK!.......2006-06-20

From what little I'd seen or heard regarding the "Triplets of Belleville" I was expecting it to be a kooky Gaulic cartoon featuring the eponymous triplets; which it certainly does near the end of the film, but they aren't the central characters of the film, nor as prominent as I'd imagined. The film is also far more satirical than I had suspected, focusing instead on a young boy, Champion, and his grandmother, Mademoiselle Souza, and their close familial bond. "Triplets of Belleville" opens with an old clip (a movie within a movie) of the triplets romping through their song "Rendezvous" and as the camera pans back we are in a stylized version of de Gaulle's France. Rather than simplistic, "Triplets of Belleville" works on many levels; the desire of the grandmother to fulfill her young grandson's ambition of becoming a Tour de France cyclist, a goal he attains only to become captured by the French Mafia along with other cyclists and is whisked away to Belleville.

Belleville is the perfect amalgam of the worst of American and Americanized France. The satire here is writ large - literally! Mademoiselle Souza doggedly pursues Champion to Belleville accompanied by the family dog Bruno, who likewise plays a pivotal role in the action. Mademoiselle Souza is befriended by the triplets and is pulled into their strange existence. There the story gets to lampoon Francophiles as much as the Americans. This unlikely group eventually tracks down Champion at the Mafia's headquarters where he and the other cyclists are being used for the amusement of a large audience of gamblers. Here the satire is sharpest - a commentary on the nature of society, celebrity culture, and how disposable-natured we are. The cyclists are chasing an illusory dream and their machinery becomes the escape vehicle for them, the triplets, Mademoiselle Souza and Bruno in a hilariously funny getaway.

Those giving the "Triplets of Belleville" a surface read will think it's the oddest cartoon in years as it is punctuated with infrequent dialogue and the images or as distorted as a Picasso painting. Dig deeper and you'll find a much more rewarding movie as there's a great deal of symbolism and satire packed in 81 minutes! The "Triplets of Belleville" isn't easy watching; it's frequently puzzling, mysterious, and otherworldly. Satire is a tough sell but if you like a thinking person's cartoon then "Triplets of Belleville" is the one for you!

Astounding!.......2005-02-28

This is a film so highly creative and unique, it draws you in and captivates you from start to finish, then leaves you feeling as though you have just witnessed something revolutionary in the film industry. At a glance it looks to be a remake of an older French animation film, however it is new (2003), and French-Canadian writer/director Sylvain Chomet uses this unique, comical and exagerated 1930-ish cartoon style to perfection. The story itself is equally entertaining. If you don't "parlez vous Francais", don't worry - there are only about 10 words spoken in the entire film. It is a visual masterpiece!

A beautiful story.......2004-06-27

The Triplettes of Belleville is the funniest and most inventive animation I have ever seen. This is a triumph that can be enjoyed countless times!

Average customer rating:

Triplette Fun
The wonderful darkess of toe tapping laughter
Incredible
One of the best
"What have you got to say to Grandma?"

The Triplets of Belleville
Starring: Michel Robin , Béatrice Bonifassi , Jean-Claude Donda , Mari-Lou Gauthier , and Monica Viegas
Director: Sylvain Chomet
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

General | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video
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The Triplets of Belleville
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ASIN: B00011FXHS

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Triplette Fun.......2007-06-08

The wonderful darkess of toe tapping laughter.......2007-05-17

Incredible.......2007-05-16

One of the best.......2007-05-02

"What have you got to say to Grandma?".......2007-04-25

Les Triplettes De Belleville Original French Version with English Version Included (The Triplets of Belleville) Orignal French Box Set 2 DVDS

Average customer rating:

Not what I expected, but that's a pleasant surprise!
What if Lynch did animation?
Just Short of Being a Classic

Les Triplettes De Belleville Original French Version with English Version Included (The Triplets of Belleville) Orignal French Box Set 2 DVDS

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video
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The Triplets of Belleville
The Triplets of Belleville
A Very Long Engagement
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ASIN: B0007W0AF6

Product Description

An orphaned boy, Champion, is raised by his grandmother, Madame Souza. Her gift of a tricycle starts a craze for cycle-racing that becomes the cornerstone of their life together. After years of relentless training, Champion makes it to the Tour de France, the toughest cycling event in the world. Alas, Champion and a handful of other top competitors are mysteriously kidnapped by a pair of sinister crooks with hangdog expressions. Supported by her faithful sidekick, her fat and flatulent dog Bruno, Madame Souza sets off to rescue her beloved Champion. An epic adventure leads them across the Atlantic to a vast seaport metropolis named Belleville, headquarters of the notorious French mafia. Lost and confused in the threatening darkness of the great city, Madame Souza and Bruno encounter the Belleville Triplettes, who, in their youth, were a glamorous close-harmony act. Now, these three batty old women are now a bizarre jazz combo. Mme Souza joins the band. At their very first gig, she discovers Champion is being held captive by the mafia Godfather himself! All hell breaks loose, and the chase is on! Do Mme Souza, her dim dog, and the Triplettes have what it takes to outsmart the ruthless French mafia and release poor Champion from its clutches?

Customer Reviews:

Not what I expected, but that's a pleasant surprise!.......2006-06-20

What if Lynch did animation?.......2005-10-08

I've seen a few animation films in my life, but "The Triplets of Belleville" is easily the weirdest of them all. There's something of Lynch about it that I just can't quite pinpoint. It is the perfect adaptation of the film-noir genre to the animation scene and the plot (or lack thereof) is developed under a gloomy, grim, dark and intriguing atmosphere.

The film seems to work on many layers and I honestly can't come up with a rational explanation for it, not on a single viewing anyway. I'd be interested in seeing it again, now that the initial weirdness is gone. But something tells me this is something to be experienced more than to be understood.

If you like out-of-the-ordinary stuff in unusual mediums, and in addition somewhat depressing, eerie cartoons somehow connected to the Tour de France sounds like a good idea, then this French animation film is for you.

Just Short of Being a Classic.......2005-02-26

If you're going to watch "Triplettes," watch the original French version--without subtitles, if possible. You don't really need them, as this is virtually a silent film, and what little dialogue there is is confined to announcers, newscasts, and the odd word here and there. I'm not sure if Mme Souza or Champion ever speak, except in the closing moments of the film. But the language is there, and the rhythms of the French original add to the overall effect of this charming film. You also need to hear the catchy closing song in the original, since the English version included in the "music video" extra is as awful a translation of any song I have ever heard, even a largely nonsensical one like this.

And of the film itself? It's extremely absorbing visually; in fact, you probably will want to watch it at least twice, to catch all of the little details loaded in each scene. There are dozens of brief moments that contribute largely to the film's appeal, even if the plot seems to go nowhere and feels a lot longer than 80 minutes. In order to appreciate this film--which is essentially a "search and rescue" film like the other major animated feature from 2003, Finding Nemo--you must accept it at its own leisurely pace, savouring the many asides and set-pieces (including a hilarious cabaret act performed by the titular Triplets on a fridge rack, newspaper, and vacuum cleaner) and seeing them as essentially a series of loosely connected shorts. The one hole in the film, then, is the central character of Champion, a blank slate who seems totally unaffected by the fact that he has been stolen away from his home and forced to live in slavery in a bizarre gambling sport. Not only does he not appreciate Grandma's considerable efforts to rescue him, he doesn't even seem to notice she's there. The film isn't really about him at all, which makes most of the last act seem superfluous.

But do see this film, for the marvellous characters of Mme. Souza, her oversized dog, Bruno, and the Triplets themselves. And see it for the great visuals and the fabulous jazz score. And if you still want an edge-of-your-seat rescue plot, watch Finding Nemo again.

Les Triplettes de Belleville / The Triplets Of Belleville (2 pack) + Original Motion Picture SoundTrack CD

Average customer rating:

Les Triplettes de Belleville / The Triplets Of Belleville (2 pack) + Original Motion Picture SoundTrack CD

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000GE204O

Average customer rating:

Not what I expected, and that's a good thing!

The Triplets of Belleville [Region 2]
Starring: Michel Robin , Béatrice Bonifassi , Jean-Claude Donda , Mari-Lou Gauthier , and Monica Viegas
Director: Sylvain Chomet
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

General | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video
ASIN: B00009ZT9F

Customer Reviews:

Not what I expected, and that's a good thing!.......2006-06-20

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