The Triplets of Belleville

Overview

"Those who may have missed director Sylvain Chomet's charming Oscar-nominated animated feature The Triplets of Belleville during its all-too-brief and limited theatrical run can now witness the inventive feature thanks to this release from Columbia/TriStar Home Entertainment. Presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, the image is spotless in addition to offering a great presentation of the film's varying color scheme. The only true argument that could be made against the transfer is the ugly intrusion of edge-enhancement. Though viewers with standard televisions won't notice the tell-tale glowing edges that, in addition to being entirely unnecessary, are impossible to ignore after one becomes aware of them, viewers with large, high-definition, anamorphic-friendly televisions will, no doubt, find this distracting. Audio is offered in a choice of English or Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, offering a clean reproduction of the wonderful sound scheme and a great vehicle for the infectious music featured in the film. Though played down somewhat on the packaging, the extra features provided on this release offer some great insight into the film's production. Commentaries are separated into three scene-specific segments: ""Opening Sequence,"" ""Restaurant Performance,"" and ""Tuning the Wheel."" Viewers are treated to a perfect mixture of technical and fun facts -- with the final segment offering a great showcase for the film's remarkable foley work. A featurette entitled ""The Cartoon According to Sylvain Chomet"" is a nice (albeit somewhat brief) learning tool for aspiring animators, and an appropriately surreal music video for ""Bellville Rendez-Vous"" will have Chomet and songwriter Benoît Charest's earworm title tune echoing in viewers' heads for days. A fun theatrical trailer rounds out the features nicely."

Product Details

Release Date:	05/04/2004
UPC:	0043396032316
Original Release:	2003
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Sony Pictures
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:21:00
Sales rank:	3,361

Special Features

Closed Caption;"Making of The Triplets of Bellville"; Featurette "The Cartoon According to Director Sylvain Chomet"; Select scenes with commentary: "Opening Sequence," "Restaurant Performance," and "Tuning the Wheel"; "Bellville Rendez-Vous" music video; Theatrical trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Jean-Claude Donda	Voices
Michel Robin	Voices
Monica Viegas	Voices
Beatrice Bonifassi	Voices,Actor
Lina Boudreault	Voices
Lina Boudreau	Actor
Charles Linton	Actor
Mari-Lou Gauthier	Actor
Dirk Denoyelle	Les commentateurs Sportifs/Le clochard
Graziellia de Villa	Madame Souza
Noël Baye	'Champion' adulte
Helga Van der Heyden	Actor
Jeron Amin Dewulf	Actor
Michèle Caucheteux	Voices
Benoît Charest	Composer,Composer

Technical Credits

Sylvain Chomet

Sylvain Chomet	Director,Screenwriter
Didier Brunner	Producer
Paul Cadieux	Producer
Adam Adler	Executive Producer
Viviane Vanfleteren	Producer
Pieter Van Houte	Special Effects
Cinebert	Sound Mixer
Laurent Quaglio	Sound/Sound Designer
Mathieu Cox	Sound/Sound Designer
Eric de Vos	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

The opening sequence of the The Triplets of Belleville is one of those crude, early black-and-white cartoons that might have played before the feature in a traditional movie palace. It not only sets the surreal tone for the film, it also introduces the wonderfully infectious title song. Inspired by the music of Django Reinhardt, the jazz score (composed by Benoît Charest) is an important element because writer/director Sylvain Chomet has wisely chosen to refrain from using dialogue. Traversing through a non-standard adventure, the endearing main characters communicate through nonverbal behavior. Bruno is a loyal hound dog who barks at trains and occasionally drifts off into bizarre dream sequences. Matronly Madame Souza might walk with a limp, but she's a tough coach and a stickler for precision. Together, the humble team hobbles toward the big city of Belleville in order to rescue their beloved Champion. The city is an ink-washed masterpiece of strange proportions. Huge American tourists line the streets, while the villains are represented by symmetrical blocks of homogenous mobsters. The heroes quickly befriend a trio of elderly experimental musicians who live near a swamp and dine exclusively on frogs. If this all sounds too absurd, remember that the tale is told from the tender perspective of an old lady and her dog. The warm, nostalgic style borrows from the comedy of Jacques Tati and the design of '50s animation. The adventure moves at a slow, gentle pace leading up to a daring car chase and rescue sequence. Accept the ridiculous premise, because the simple joys are completely worth the suspension of disbelief.