Movie · 2003 · Animation, Comedy, Drama, Adventure · 1h 20m · PG-13 · French
Curator score: 9.0/10 (127.3K ratings)
Get your hands together for The Triplets of Belleville!
Overview
When her grandson is kidnapped during the Tour de France, Madame Souza and her beloved pooch Bruno team up with the Belleville Sisters—an aged song-and-dance team from the days of Fred Astaire—to rescue him.
Ratings
Curator score: 9.0/10
IMDb: 7.7/10
Letterboxd: 4.03/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Metacritic: 91
TMDB: 7.4/10
Director
Sylvain Chomet
Production
Les Armateurs, Production Champion, Vivi Film, France 3 Cinéma, RGP France, BBC Bristol Productions
Cast
Suzy Falk, Lina Boudreau, Betty Bonifassi, Michèle Caucheteux, Jean-Claude Donda, Mari-Lou Gauthier, Charles Linton, Monica Viegas, Michel Robin
Curator Review
Verdict
A wildly original, nearly dialogue-free animated caper that turns a simple rescue plot into a surreal, funny, and oddly moving visual symphony. Its eccentric character design, tactile hand-drawn style, and deadpan momentum make it a standout for viewers who like animation that feels handmade and a little unclassifiable.
Best for
animation fans seeking something inventive and adult-leaning
viewers who enjoy visual storytelling over dialogue
fans of offbeat European comedy and surreal humor
people who like melancholy, whimsical, or eccentric films
Skip if
you want fast-paced, conventional plotting
you need lots of dialogue or clear exposition
you dislike stylized character animation or grotesque exaggeration
you prefer emotionally straightforward family animation
Overview
The Triplets of Belleville is one of those rare animated films that seems to arrive from its own private planet. It takes a familiar rescue premise and filters it through a world of exaggerated bodies, antique machinery, and almost entirely visual storytelling. The result is funny, strange, and constantly surprising, with a rhythm that feels more like a silent-era comedy or a fever dream than a standard adventure film.
Worth noting
What makes it endure is the confidence of its design. Every frame is packed with personality, from the elastic faces to the grimy urban textures and the absurdly memorable supporting characters. The film’s humor is often deadpan and observational, but it also has a warm emotional core centered on devotion, persistence, and the bond between caregiver and child.
Bottom line
It won’t be for everyone: the plot is thin, the pacing is deliberately odd, and the film often prefers mood and motion to narrative clarity. But if you’re open to animation as pure cinematic expression, it’s a singular experience—one of the most distinctive European animated films of its era.
Top Letterboxd reviews
James (Schaffrillas) (4★) · 1827 likes
This movie has the world's slowest car chase and it's epic
Branson Reese · 1146 likes
Love this movie but it loses some points because a girl I had a crush on in high school said I looked like the waiter and I did not care for that one bit
Rakestraw (4.5★) · 648 likes
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… more
Felipe F. (3.5★) · 577 likes
Never have I felt more confused about I film I know I liked. It feels like this movie comes from a different dimension. It's both beautiful and ugly. It's funny, but not too funny. It's slow, but energetic. It's loud, but there's barely any dialogue.
I feel like I need to precess this film. And then process. And then process some more. I really liked it, it's just that I'm not entirely sure why.
One thing's for sure though. "Belleville Rendez-Vous", particularly the version tha plays during the credits, it's an absolute banger.
Sebas (3.5★) · 509 likes
I will never go to France
Update 25/8/2025: Going to Paris next week