Memorable, crazy movie

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

I remember the first time I watched this movie, it was with my parents when I was around 10 or 11, and I remember thinking, "what the hell just happened?" and you may too, after the first time. This largely wordless animation comes from the great Sylvain Chomet, a brilliant animator who's only other full length movie is The Illusionist, which is just as good and should be checked out if you like this one. To summarize, this film is pretty far out there in obscurity, most people I've asked about have never heard about it, and it's pretty easy to see why. The film is chock full of bizarre quirks and weird happenings, I won't deny it, and the character models are incredibly ugly and deformed, but you have to agree there is some level of charm to them, and the setting is beautiful. I could gush about this movie for hours, but please give it a shot, its something else.

Quirky, standout French animation about a boy, his grandmother, his dream of competing in the Tour de France, and his kidnapping midway through the race. Somewhere along the way, they latch onto a trio of retired songstresses (the titular triplets) and from there, the ride grooves to a catchy, incessant makeshift beat. A free-flowing adventure in every sense, it's never half as serious as the premise seems to imply - even when the crew is dodging bullets in New York aboard the equivalent of a parade float. The artwork is wonderful; organic and over-exaggerated in the very best ways, and all-too willing to poke fun at its own eccentricities. Stylish, funny and emotive, with a colorful soul and a restless spirit, I was especially impressed by its ability to convey the story without a shred of essential dialog. No subtitles necessary, just enjoy the show.

From its opening sequence The Triplets of Belleville is a hyperkinetic riot, a near-wordless stream of action and animation that is simply a pleasure to watch. It's not an unmitigated, unrealistic joy -- the setting is distinctly grimy, and there's the general feeling of a lost golden era in distant, hazy memory.But in the end, the cloudy surroundings only make the joy of the film more powerful. The Triplets of Belleville is ultimately a cry to reclaim that raw joy we see so often in the pop culture of days gone by, that maybe didn't ever exist in reality, but perhaps if we try hard enough, life can be joyous again for the first time. That the plot is insubstantial and the denouement non-existent seems to only make the film more energetic, as it dispatches with all the unpleasant formalities to get down to what, it suggests, cinema should be: unfettered fun.

Hate is a strong word yet it applies here as I did hate this film. It was rather boring and just pointless. Anyone who says the animation was top notch and better than most Disney or Pixar stuff is on something. The first part of the movie is done in B&W which looks like something out of a 1940's Merry Melodies cartoon, the rest of the movie is done in color and looks a lot like the animation from the Beatles animated movie "Yellow Submarine" with scenery and characters all drawn in weird surreal type images. I found this type of animation to be out of place and really ugly ,not in a bizarre way, just in a cheap way.My other reasons for hating it are virtually no dialog which to some consider that an art form ,sure if you watch an old silent movie but not for a modern work, The characters are all portrayed in caricature or parody too. Americans are all drawn to be obese , Europeans are thin, guys who ride bikes have freakishly large leg muscles etc. I mean can we say contrived here.The Triplets start off as 3 young women singing in the 1920's or 30's , later in the movie they are shown in the present time as 3 old hags who eat frogs and cackle. Their involvement in this really long and drawn out plot of a Tour De France biker getting kidnapped is purely by coincidence. The grandmother blows a whistle incessantly throughout the movie and the Triplets try to sing ,rather badly of course. It's just a train wreck of a movie. Definitely not for kids or for that matter for anyone with decent taste. I'm sorry but I did not find it to be this masterpiece of an art form. If anything it comes across as one long boring bland waste of time and film. Paying 8 dollars for this is a tragedy.