I had heard many good things about The Triplets of Belleville for months, and upon seeing scenes and the trailer, I became very curious about this French import.
 
This eccentric, surreal animated feature tells the story of  sweet grandmother Souza who, along with large pooch Bruno, embark on a lengthy journey to rescue her grandson Champion, who's been kidnapped and put to work by the French Mafia during the famed Tour De France cycling race. Along their trek they are aided by the triplets of Belleville, a high spirited group of elderly sisters who make a living doing song and dance numbers.
 
This sporadically magical adventure is bigger in scope than most animated features. But what I liked most about it was it's ability to tell a story through striking visuals. There is very little dialogue in The Triplets of Belleville, but it's always easy to tell what's going on, because of it's breathtaking visual sense.
 
Many will, no doubt, be put off by the excessive offbeat nature of the proceedings, but one thing is certain - The Triplets of Belleville is an incredibly unique animated experience. There are things going on in this movie that are quite difficult to explain even though I fully understood it while I was watching them.
 
Triplets of Belleville also benefits from being a little darker and edgier than typical animated fare. The sequence in which the triplets, grandma, and Bruno dine on a meal comprised of frog parts was a hoot,  and I won,t soon forget it.
 
The animation here is stellar and extremely observant. These characters'  features and movements are something to behold.  In particular, I really liked the moments with Bruno. His actions and demeanor are incredibly real, and I loved how much detail went into the explanation for his disdain for trains. I also loved the landscapes on display in The Triplets of Belleville. From grandma's home, to the stunning images of the big city, to the vast master shots of Souza and Bruno at sea, much care went into the construction of this wildly surreal universe.
 
Was this a perfect film? No. I must admit, as wonderfully odd and engrossing most of The Triplets of Belleville was, I did find myself losing interest in the final act.  In terms of storytelling, I wasn't as blown away by this as I was by Hayao Miyazaki's Spirtied Away or Pixar's Finding Nemo.
 
Still, The Triplets of Belleville has much to offer and I can honestly say, I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it. I'm also really happy that despite a limited release, this film was recognized by the Academy. Maybe now, it will see a larger release.  And on a final note, The Triplets of Belleville makes much better use of frogs then P.T. Anderson's Magnolia. Take that Boneman!