The Triplets of Belleville

A young, pudgy, and lonely Parisian boy receives a bike one day and from that moment on, with the help of his grandmother and his fat dog Bruno, sets out to become a cycling champion. As the boy grows into a man, and his thighs and calves reach the size of watermelons, he fulfills his dream by entering in the Tour De France only to have it thwarted by French mobsters who kidnap him to carry out their sinister plans. Now it is up to Grandma and Bruno, with the aid of three singing elderly sisters, to find him before it is too late. The Triplets of Belleville, by Sylvain Chomet and his studio the same group who recently released The Illusionist, is a wildly imaginative animated film. It may also be the first animated film where I was constantly aware of the excellent direction. The film is quirky to the extreme and meanders quite a bit, but much of this is even to its credit and is part of the film's charm.