Is there a story? Barely.
Is there rich, witty dialogue? No.
Is there any dialogue? Nope.
Is it gorgeously animated? Yes, yes, yes.

The artwork animation on display in Sylvain Chomet's The Triplets of Belleville is absolutely stunning in its execution. The characters that reside in this wonderful, simplistic world of cycling and train-barking are undeniably singular, you've never quite seen characters like this before; whether it's Madame Souza's mound of a figure, potato-faced with Fraggle Rock eyes or the ridiculousness of Champion, the perpetual cyclist with his rope torso perched atop his bike, powered by his ham hock calves and the wind against his jib nose or the elderly Belleville triplets all looking like a geriatric Janice from the…

I’m a huge fan of cycling. I had serious aspirations of becoming a pro, but unfortunately I wasn’t a very gifted rider, unlike a lot of guys I raced with (some are now riding the Tour de France). I still cycle about six thousand kilometres a year and watch every race the that the TV broadcasts or that is streamed live through the internet. My biggest complain about The Triplets of Belleville - a short animated film about a cyclist who’s kidnapped during the world’s most famous cycling event - is therefore that it doesn’t feature enough cycling! The sequences that focus on the rider, his preparations and the actual cycling are amongst the best animated scenes I’ve ever witnessed:…

Film #8 from Gustav's list.

It turns out after watching the opening 20 minutes, that I recognised The Triplets of Belleville, the unique animation style, Bruno, Champion, the distorted proportions of size and grandma. Of course it turns out, this film was on UK TV a few years ago but I ended up turning it off and then forgetting about it.

But I remembered it the second I saw Bruno endearingly barking at the train each time it rumbled past - and I wonder what in earth possessed me to turn this film off those few years ago? Pah! It doesn't really matter.

The film, if to anyone's interest (which I strongly hope) is like a 1920's ode to family…

French animator Sylvain Chomet is one of my favourite animation directors of all time. He has only thus far directed two animated features and a short but oh, what masterpieces they are! Chomet’s first feature, the gloriously inventive Triplets of Belleville (aka Belleville Rendez-vous), has an unusual plot involving the kidnapping of cyclists and the efforts of an elderly woman, her obese dog Bruno and three aged former vaudeville stars to rescue them. Beautiful to look at (in its own grotesque way), Triplets of Belleville manages to combine a series of small ideas on a large canvas to create a world with its own rules and logic, where oceans can be crossed on pedalos and fat dogs can be used…

Oscar nominated for animated feature, this Canadian made film will take you back to the old days of Disney cartoons. Language is very minimal, proving that some stories don't require dialogue to propel them forward. Just like many of the old Mickey Mouse cartoons, the story in Triplets of Belleville is more in the 'whacky and funny' vein then modern day Pixar productions that are grounded. Some find Wiley Coyote surviving a 2,000lb falling on his head hilarious, while others more in a state of neutral. That's what I found difficult with the movie, was my ability to engage with it. I have become accustomed to modern day animated films proving to be more human than their live action counterparts.…