The Triplets of Belleville Cartoon
By Mary HobsonMary.Hobson@animationschoolreview.com
Animation School Review Columnist
Over the last weekend I took some time to look at a number of films that I had missed when they were first released. One of them, a French cartoon called the Triplets of Belleville, really caught my imagination.
The story line is fairly simple - a small French boy called Champion is aided in his ambition to win the Tour de France bicycle race by his Grandmother. During the race, he and two other competitors are kidnapped and taken to Belleville - which has a remarkable resemblance to the New York of the 1930s - and used in a gambling racket. His grandmother, Madame Souza, aided by a singing trio, rescues the boy.
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However, what makes this film really great is the artistry of the cartoon, and the fact that this evokes a completely atmospheric experience. There is very little dialogue in the film, making it feel Chaplinesque, but it really doesn't need any. The drawing is superb, every background is crammed with detail and loads of visual jokes, and the motion is repetitive but compelling. As an adult cartoon it is a real classic.Great Cartoon
The technicalities are great, with good cel animation and some computer enhanced backgrounds to make the 3d computer animation really come to life. You get the impression that you have been allowed into someone's internal alternative universe, and within the boundaries of this world, it all works. Acquiring the skills for this sophisticated kind of film-making must be an intensive process. The artistic input is married up to the 3d computer animation of the cartoon really well. If someone could offer me the perfect online course that allowed me to develop both artistic talent and animation skills, I would love to be able to produce something like this.Source
deseretnews.comTriplets of Belleville Review - Rotten Tomatoes
About the Author
Mary Hobson is a consultant for technology start-ups in Russia. She has also worked as an executive officer in a defense facility and as a university lecturer in computer science and management information. Mary earned her first degree in textile marketing and subsequently studied education and computer science at a Master’s degree level.Posted on September 26, 2005 at 4:40 PM
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