Triplettes de Belleville, Les (2003, FRA) C-80m. *** D: Sylvain Chomet. Starring (the voices of) Béatrice Bonifassi, Lina Boudreau, Michèle Caucheteux, Jean-Claude Donda. Oscar-nominated animated feature seems traditionally drawn but has some CGI elements. Almost dialogue-free film is a crime mystery set in the 1950s about a young cyclist, driven by his mother, who participates in the Tour de France and is kidnapped by some gangsters from Belleville (standing for New York City) for some evil plans. It's his mother and their pet dog to the rescue! Well-designed, with lots of odd and stylish touches, though the story is almost entirely without dialogue and quite bizarre. Written by the director. English title: THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE.


© Ron Altman