2003, PG-13, 80 minutes

For movie fans that live in culturally repressed areas of the United States, the Oscars are a kind of Godsend. It is around Oscar time that the smaller films, the ones without big name stars or mega budgets, get singled out to stand alone on their merits against the big boys. It is also a time when these smaller films get a little wider release in order to cash in on their nominations. This year there are plenty of little films vying for the gold statue in major categories, but I can guarantee you, none of these films are as charming as The Triplets of Belleville.

The storyline of this animated picture is pretty far out; a young bicyclist competing in the Tour de France is captured by the French mafia, and it is up to the young man’s grandmother to come to his rescue. She enlists the help of the family dog, an overweight, train-hating mutt by the name of Bruno, and his finely tuned nose soon leads the duo far away from their humble home to the mega city of Belleville, where everything is huge. It is in the big city that grandma meets up with the “Triplets” of Belleville, and together they hatch a plot to free the young cyclist from captivity.

The look of “Belleville” is a beautiful achievement, like none other. Like many animated films nowadays, it is a combination of hand drawn 2D and computerized 3D animation, but unlike most of the animation done this way, you really get the sense that the artists behind this film were really having fun with bringing the world of Belleville to life, and stretching the boundaries of their craft at the same time. Most animated films of late don’t seem to be doing anything more than getting released so that they can put out a slew of direct-to-video sequels for years to come. They might plug in a song to get a little Oscar buzz at the end of the year, but they certainly don’t seem to be pushing the envelope on what they can do with the art of animation. Belleville completely comes alive on screen from the moment it starts, and it celebrates and carries on the tradition of inspired lunacy and warmth that the genre is so well known for.

Although the film is French, don’t let that put you off from seeing it. Another wonderful thing about Triplets is that there is no dialogue, or at least no dialogue that is important to the story. The plot unfolds through the visuals, which is another testament to just how truly well this story is told. You may hear some gibberish being spoken by the old ladies in the movie, and they sing their songs in French, but you will still be tapping your feet to their crazy beat regardless of the language.

I feel truly sad that this film has to go up against Finding Nemo for best animated film of the year. Nemo was a wonderfully made film, and well executed, but it’s a story that we’ve heard before. Belleville manages to be about the same type of subject (losing someone close to you), but the story is brought forth in an incredibly original manner. It’s kind of an anti-Disney type film, being that it is a cartoon for adults that the little ones may not mind sitting through either. Belleville is in a class its own, with its ability to tell a completely engaging story while barely saying a word. If your local megaplex has been blessed with a print of this film, please treat yourself to The Triplets of Bellville.

A note of caution to the parents; if you are planning on taking the little ones to this film, do keep in mind that it is rated PG-13, probably because there is a little bit of animated nudity in the beginning, and there is some cartoonish violence scattered about, although it is less violent than your average Loony Toons short.