Review of The Triplets of Belleville (2003) by Mack H — 22 Sep 2011

The creativity of the film is great. The storytelling is ok. I was laughing and enjoying the song in the beginning of the film. I think it's funny how Chomet makes a bunch of cracks at fat Americans while having many fat French people as well.

I liked the little boy getting the dog, then growing up and becoming a professional bicyclist and having the dog want his attention all the time. The repetition of the dog going to the window for the train is cute, and is even funnier when it comes back at the triplet's house.

But the story hardly ever moves forward. We see a lot of training, then bicycling, then he gets captured by mysterious men, and then she goes to look for her son. But the trip looking for him made me feel like she didn't care too much.

Yes, she lies and gets a paddle boat for 20 minutes, then goes out on a raging sea, but when she gets there... what? She doesn't tell the triplets anything (or at least we don't see it), and they do a lot of musical things before they start looking for her son.

What was it? "Oh no! I don't know where my son could be! Maybe I should just take in the sites and hang out with people I admire." And the film tends to break its own rules to fit the purpose of easy storytelling.

They are running away from the mafia, but none of the bullets remotely get close to hitting them. Come on! At least have some close calls to make it slightly believable. We saw a man get shot earlier and we were afraid of the guns pointed at the mother and the triplets.

The big "bike" can't take turns during the chase, but later has no problems? Like I said, the film is creative in its visuals and is very charming and funny, but it is pretty weak on the storytelling.