View source for The Triplets of Belleville

{{Short description|2003 animated film by Sylvain Chomet}}
{{Redirect|Belleville Rendez-vous|the song from the film|Belleville Rendez-vous (song)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = The Triplets of Belleville
| image          = Triplets_of_Belleville-Poster.jpg
| alt            = The film post features several characters riding bikes with information about the film surrounding them
| caption        = French theatrical release poster
| native_name    = {{Infobox name module|fr|Les Triplettes de Belleville}}
| director       = [[Sylvain Chomet]]
| writer         = Sylvain Chomet
| producer       = {{Plainlist|
* Viviane Vanfleteren
* [[Regis Ghezelbash]]
* Colin Rose
}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Béatrice Bonifassi]]
* Lina Boudreau
* [[Michel Robin]]
}}
| editing        = {{Plainlist|
* Dominique Brune
* Chantal Colibert Brunner
* Dominique Lefever
}}
| music          = [[Ben Charest]]
| studio         = {{Plainlist|
* [[Les Armateurs]]
* Champion
* Vivi Film
* [[France 3 Cinéma]]
* RGP France
* [[BBC Bristol]]
* [[BBC Worldwide]]
}}
| distributor    = {{Plainlist|
* Diaphana Films (France)
* Cinéart (Belgium)<ref name="uni"/>
* [[Alliance Atlantis]] (Canada)<ref name="uni">{{cite web|title=Beleville Rendez-vous (2002)|website=[[UniFrance]]|access-date=28 August 2021|url=https://en.unifrance.org/movie/21515/belleville-rendez-vous|archive-date=28 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210828052101/https://en.unifrance.org/movie/21515/belleville-rendez-vous|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Tartan Films]] (United Kingdom)
}}
| released       = {{Film date|df=y|2003|5|18|[[2003 Cannes Film Festival|Cannes]]|2003|6|11|France|2003|6|25|Belgium|2003|8|29|United Kingdom}}
| runtime        = 78 minutes
| country        = {{Plainlist|
* France
* Belgium
* Canada
* United Kingdom
}}
| language       = {{Plainlist|
* French
* English
* Portuguese
}}
| budget         = $9.5 million<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2003/film/news/new-gaul-draw-france-toons-up-1117879019/|title=New Gaul draw: France toons up|last=Grey|first=Tobias|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=2003-01-19|access-date=2014-04-19|archive-date=20 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140420075856/https://variety.com/2003/film/news/new-gaul-draw-france-toons-up-1117879019/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| gross          = $14.8 million<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=tripletsofbelleville.htm|title=The Triplets of Belleville|work=[[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=2014-04-19|archive-date=4 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140404005345/http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=tripletsofbelleville.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}
'''''The Triplets of Belleville''''' ({{langx|fr|'''Les Triplettes de Belleville'''}}) is a 2003 [[animated]] [[Adventure film|adventure]] [[comedy-drama]] film written and directed by [[Sylvain Chomet]].<ref name="indieanimated">{{Cite web|url=https://collider.com/best-indie-animated-movies/|title=Best Indie Animated Movies of All Time{{!}}Collider|website=[[Collider (website)|Collider]] |date=19 November 2021 |access-date=12 January 2023|archive-date=16 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221216035408/https://collider.com/best-indie-animated-movies/|url-status=live}}</ref> It was released as '''''Belleville Rendez-vous''''' in the United Kingdom and [[Ireland]]. The film is Chomet's first feature film and was an [[international co-production]] among companies in France, Belgium, Canada and the United Kingdom.

The film features the voices of Lina Boudreault, Mari-Lou Gauthier, Michèle Caucheteux, Jean-Claude Donda, [[Michel Robin]], and Monica Viegas. There is little dialogue; much of the narrative is conveyed through song and [[pantomime]]. It tells the story of Madame Souza, an elderly woman who goes on a quest to rescue her grandson Champion, a [[Tour de France]] cyclist, who has been kidnapped by the French mafia for gambling purposes and taken to the city of Belleville (an amalgamation of [[New York City]], [[Montreal]] and [[Quebec City]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/For-caricaturist-Chomet-creator-of-Triplets-of-2524759.php|title=For caricaturist Chomet, creator of 'Triplets of Belleville,' it's a long way from Disney|last=Curiel|first=Jonathan|work=[[San Francisco Chronicle|SFGate]]|date=2003-12-29|access-date=2015-02-09|archive-date=10 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150210024135/http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/For-caricaturist-Chomet-creator-of-Triplets-of-2524759.php|url-status=live}}</ref>). She is accompanied by Champion's loyal and obese hound, Bruno, and joined by the Triplets of Belleville, [[music hall]] singers from the 1930s, whom she meets in the city.

The film was highly praised by audiences and critics for its unique style of animation and has since gained a cult following.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://movieweb.com/best-cult-classic-animated-movies/|title=22 Animated Cult Classics Worth Checking Out – MovieWeb|date=11 January 2023 |access-date=12 January 2023|archive-date=12 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112153254/https://movieweb.com/best-cult-classic-animated-movies/|url-status=live}}</ref> The film was nominated for two [[Academy Awards]]—[[Academy Award for Best Animated Feature|Best Animated Feature]] and [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]] for "[[Belleville Rendez-vous (song)|Belleville Rendez-vous]]". It was also screened out of competition (''hors concours'') at the [[2003 Cannes Film Festival]].<ref name="festival-cannes.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/4075513/year/2003.html|title=Festival de Cannes: The Triplets of Belleville|access-date=2009-11-09|work=festival-cannes.com|archive-date=28 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728124910/http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/4075513/year/2003.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Plot==
In France, Madame Souza is raising her grandson Champion, a melancholy orphan. They watch an old variety show on television featuring a trio of singers, the Triplets of Belleville (Rose, Blanche, and Violette). When the program is interrupted, Souza asks Champion if the "film" is finished. The listless Champion does not reply and instead changes the channel to a piano concert. Souza, seeing Champion's interest in the music, pulls out an old piano and tries to amuse him, but Champion remains indifferent. She deduces that Champion is lonely and buys him a dog, Bruno. Neither Bruno nor an electric train set succeed in lifting Champion's spirits, and the dog has no interests apart from eating, sleeping, and barking at trains.

While tidying Champion's room, Souza discovers a book filled with photos of cyclists. She buys Champion a [[tricycle]], and he becomes an obsessive cyclist. Some years later he is competing in the [[Tour de France]], when he is kidnapped by a pair of [[Milieu (organized crime in France)|mobsters]] in a [[Citroën H Van|Citroën van]]. They take him and two other contestants across the Atlantic, Souza pursuing them on a [[pedalo]].

Arriving in the United States penniless and hungry, Souza and the obese Bruno are adopted by the Triplets of Belleville, now elderly, and taken to their seedy apartment. When dinner is finally served, it consists of frog soup and frog stew, with tadpoles for dessert, collected by Violette using "[[expanding bait]]". Souza joins their band, playing bicycle spokes like a [[Hammered dulcimer|dulcimer]], to their refrigerator-shelf harp, newspaper percussion and vacuum-cleaner bagpipe. During the show, Souza spots the kidnappers. With the help of the Triplets, Souza rescues the cyclists, who had been forced to pedal-power a gambling machine, and escape on the pedaling frame, pursued by the mobsters in [[Citroën 2CV|Citroën sedans]].

In a [[flashforward]], an older Champion watches the TV again showing their adventure when they are leaving the city and remembers Souza asking once more if the film is finished. Champion turns to the empty bench next to him and says "It's over, Grandma".

In a humorous post-credits scene, the boatman who rented Souza the pedalo is seen patiently waiting for his vessel to return.

==Cast==
* {{ill|Lina Boudreau|fr}} as Rose Triplette (voice)
* Mari-Lou Gauthier as Violette Triplette (voice)
* Michèle Caucheteux as Blanche Triplette (voice)
* [[Béatrice Bonifassi]] as the Triplets (singing voice)
* {{ill|Jean-Claude Donda|fr}} as Le Général de Gaulle / Les commentateurs sportifs / Le clochard / Les réclames (voice)
* Monica Viegas as Madame Souza (voice)
* Graziella de Villa as Madame Souza (English version) (voice)
* [[Michel Robin]] as 'Champion' adulte (voice)
* Noël Baye as 'Champion' adulte (English version) (voice)
* {{ill|Dirk Denoyelle|nl}} as Les commentateurs sportifs / Le clochard (Dutch version) (voice)

==Reception==
[[Rotten Tomatoes]], a [[review aggregator]], reports that {{RT data|score}} of {{RT data|count}} surveyed critics gave it a positive review, and the average rating was {{RT data|average}}; the consensus reads: "Richly detailed and loaded with surreal touches, ''The Triplets of Belleville'' is an odd, delightful charmer."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_triplets_of_belleville|title=The Triplets of Belleville (2003)|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|publisher=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]]|access-date={{RT data|access date|df=iso}}|archive-date=19 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319191358/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_triplets_of_belleville|url-status=live}}{{RT data|edit}}</ref> [[Metacritic]], which assigns a normalized score, rated it 91/100 based on 35 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-triplets-of-belleville|title=The Triplets of Belleville|work=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=2014-04-19|archive-date=5 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141005223720/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-triplets-of-belleville|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Awards and nominations===
The film was nominated for two [[Academy Awards]]: for [[Academy Award for Best Animated Feature|Best Animated Feature]], making it the first PG-13 animated film to be nominated in that category; and for [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]] ([[Benoît Charest]] and Sylvain Chomet for the song "[[Belleville Rendez-vous (song)|Belleville Rendez-vous]]", sung by [[Matthieu Chedid]] in the original version). The film lost the Best Animated Feature award to ''[[Finding Nemo]]'' and the Best Original Song to ''[[Into the West (song)|Into the West]]'' from ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King]]''. It also won the [[César Award|César]] for Best Film Music,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2004/film/news/lumiere-awards-puts-spotlight-on-triplets-1117900261/|title=Lumiere Awards puts spotlight on 'Triplets'|last=James|first=Alison|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=2004-02-17|access-date=2014-04-19|archive-date=11 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011094615/http://variety.com/2004/film/news/lumiere-awards-puts-spotlight-on-triplets-1117900261/|url-status=live}}</ref> and as a co-production with Canada it won the [[Genie Award for Best Motion Picture]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2005/film/news/genies-toon-in-triplets-1117919934/|title=Genies toon in 'Triplets'|last=Tillson|first=Tamsen|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=2005-03-31|access-date=2014-04-19|archive-date=1 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001220616/https://variety.com/2005/film/news/genies-toon-in-triplets-1117919934/|url-status=live}}</ref> and the [[BBC Four World Cinema Award]] in 2004.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2004/film/news/bbc-four-delivers-crown-to-triplets-1117898991/|title=BBC Four delivers crown to 'Triplets'|author=<!-- Staff -->|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=2004-01-25|access-date=2014-04-19|archive-date=2 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181002020120/https://variety.com/2004/film/news/bbc-four-delivers-crown-to-triplets-1117898991/|url-status=live}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="width: 99%;"
|-
! scope="col"| Award
! scope="col"| Date of ceremony
! scope="col"| Category
! scope="col"| Recipients
! scope="col"| Result
|-
| rowspan="2"|[[Academy Award]]s
| rowspan="2"|[[76th Academy Awards|29 February 2004]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Animated Feature|Best Animated Feature]]
| [[Sylvain Chomet]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]]
| [[Benoît Charest]] <small>(music)</small> & Sylvain Chomet <small>(lyrics)</small> (for [[Belleville Rendez-vous (song)|Belleville Rendez-vous]])
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="3" |[[Annie Awards]]
| rowspan="3" |[[31st Annie Awards|7 February 2004]]
| [[Annie Award for Best Animated Feature|Best Animated Feature]]
| ''The Triplets of Belleville''
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Directing in a Feature Production|Outstanding Achievement for Directing in a Feature Production]]
| rowspan="2" |Sylvain Chomet
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Writing in a Feature Production|Outstanding Achievement for Writing in a Feature Production]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Critics Choice Awards]]
| [[9th Critics' Choice Awards|10 January 2004]]
| Best Animated Feature
| Sylvain Chomet
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2"|[[Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards]]
| rowspan="2"|[[Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards 2003|7 January 2004]]
| [[Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film|Best Animated Film]]
| Sylvain Chomet
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Music|Best Music]]
| Benoît Charest
| {{won}}
|-
| [[New York Film Critics Circle]]
| [[2003 New York Film Critics Circle Awards|11 January 2004]]
| Best Animated Film
| The Triplets of Belleville
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="2"|[[Online Film Critics Society Awards]]
| rowspan="2"|[[Online Film Critics Society Awards 2003|5 January 2004]]
| [[Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Animated Film|Best Animated Film]]
| Sylvain Chomet
| {{nom}}
|-
| Best Foreign Language Film
| The Triplets of Belleville
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[San Diego Film Critics Society Awards]]
| [[San Diego Film Critics Society Awards 2003|18 December 2003]]
| Best Animated Film
| The Triplets of Belleville
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Satellite Awards]]
| [[8th Golden Satellite Awards|21 February 2004]]
| Best Animated or Mixed Media Film
| The Triplets of Belleville
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="2"|[[Toronto Film Critics Association Awards]]
| rowspan="2"|[[Toronto Film Critics Association Awards 2004|16 December 2004]]
| Best Animated Film
| rowspan="2"|The Triplets of Belleville
| {{won}}
|-
| Best Canadian Film
| {{won}}
|}

==See also==
* [[Arthouse animation]]
* [[Independent animation]]
* [[List of animated feature films]]
* [[List of films about bicycles and cycling]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0286244}}
* {{TCMDb title|id=534072}}
* {{Mojo title|tripletsofbelleville}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|triplets_of_belleville}}

{{Sylvain Chomet}}
{{Sony theatrical animated features}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for ''The Triplets of Belleville''
|list =
{{ACCT Best Picture}}
{{Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Foreign Language Film}}
{{Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film}}
{{Lumières Award for Best Film}}
{{New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Animated Film}}
{{San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Animated Film}}
{{Satellite Award Best Animated or Mixed Media Feature Film}}
{{TFCA Award for Best Animated Film}}
{{TFCA Award for Best Canadian Film}}}}
{{Portal bar|Film|Animation}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Triplets Of Belleville}}
[[Category:2003 films]]
[[Category:2003 animated films]]
[[Category:2003 comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:2003 directorial debut films]]
[[Category:2003 Belgian films]]
[[Category:2003 British films]]
[[Category:2000s Canadian animated films]]
[[Category:2000s French animated films]]
[[Category:2000s French-language films]]
[[Category:Animated films about sisters]]
[[Category:Animated films set in France]]
[[Category:Animated films set in the United States]]
[[Category:Belgian animated feature films]]
[[Category:Belgian comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:Best Film Lumières Award winners]]
[[Category:Best Picture Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners]]
[[Category:British animated feature films]]
[[Category:British comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:Canadian animated feature films]]
[[Category:Canadian comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Django Reinhardt]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Fred Astaire]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Josephine Baker]]
[[Category:Cycling films]]
[[Category:Fictional triplets]]
[[Category:Films about old age]]
[[Category:Films about pets]]
[[Category:Films about wine]]
[[Category:Films directed by Sylvain Chomet]]
[[Category:Films scored by Benoît Charest]]
[[Category:Foreign films set in the United States]]
[[Category:French animated feature films]]
[[Category:French comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:French-language Belgian films]]
[[Category:French-language Canadian films]]
[[Category:Satellite Award–winning films]]
[[Category:Sony Pictures Classics animated films]]
[[Category:Animated adventure films]]
[[Category:French adventure films]]
[[Category:British adventure films]]
[[Category:Belgian adventure films]]
[[Category:Canadian adventure films]]
[[Category:2003 Canadian films]]