The Triplets of Belleville (2003)

Chomet’s dialogue-free animated feature is a staggeringly brilliant, visually breathtaking classic that blends surreal European graphic artistry with emotional depth and humor. It follows a grandmother’s determined rescue of her kidnapped cyclist grandson with the help of the eccentric Belleville Triplets.

The film is a truly out-there piece of comic animation and the most outlandishly visual film of the year, the product of an artistic vision as rigorous as any lofty Cannes prize-winner. Turan singles out the fearlessness of Chomet’s singular point of view and the wacky plot involving the kidnapped cyclist and the triplets.

The film is an animated feature of appalling originality and scary charm that sweeps viewers into its dark comic vision without caring to be loved. Ebert singles out the haunting comic drawing style and inexorable energy of the story for praise.

The critic praises the film's dreamlike visual and sonic invention, its grotesque yet humane character designs, and its elegiac meditation on parental love and aging, calling it a near-masterpiece that lingers in memory.

The critic calls Chomet's animated feature thoroughly delightful, touching, hilarious and bracingly original, with superbly detailed and vividly eccentric animation.

The film is one of the best and oddest of the year, a tour de force of ink-washed mischief and unlikely sublimity that is sweet and sinister, funny and dark. Scott singles out the black-and-white overture evoking Josephine Baker and Fred Astaire for its naughty, exuberant quality.

The film is a sardonic feast of narrative invention and graphic caricature that swings to a nostalgic beat, unapologetically French yet universal in its humor. The review singles out the terrific sound design, swell score, and conceptual highlights like the opening newsreel and the triplets’ frog-catching technique.

Chomet’s unique, dialogue-light adult animation mixes a comedic adventure with nostalgia, satire, and emotional resonance, delivering terrific set-pieces and an unlikely but winning heroine in the resourceful grandmother. It is moving and funny with moments of genius, despite occasional longueurs.

The film succeeds at being indescribable with its avalanche of oddness and keen draftsmanship, though it harbors some stolid European prejudices about New York. Lane singles out the draftsmanship of caricatured figures and the reverent treatment of a dream sequence bestowed upon a slumbering dog.

The review highlights the film's place among inventive world animation, praising its skewed perspective, deadpan grotesquery, flair for invention, and blasé beauty alongside caricature. It recommends relishing these qualities over deeper analysis.

The review highlights the film's sheer illustrative inventiveness, surreal whimsy, and one-of-a-kind contraption-like quality while noting its grotesque elements and stream-of-consciousness style may alienate some viewers.

The film is described as hugely inventive, visually striking, and often delightful, with strong animation and a distinctive non-naturalistic style, but it is let down by a stop-start storyline and scenes that run too long.

The critic praises this engaging, original animated film in the classical style without Disney sentimentality, calling it entertaining from start to finish and quirky and quick-witted.

The critic praises the film's inventive and enchanting qualities, its silent cinema-inspired humor and visual style reminiscent of Jacques Tati and children's books. They highlight the animation's use of facial expressions and everyday objects for comedy, noting it raises the bar for animated films.

The piece celebrates the film's unique animation style and its bold, satirical take on American culture and Disney, positioning it as a standout indie animated film that challenged Pixar at the Oscars. It emphasizes the tactile world-building and influences from classic animation.

The critic praises the film's enduring visual textures and designs, including art nouveau and Tati homages, but notes the story isn't particularly engaging, with entertainment mainly from background details and use of silence and sound effects.