The Triplets of Belleville (2003) Rated PG13 Starring: The voices of Michèle Caucheteux, Jean-Claude Donda, and Michel Robin Rating: out of

Bare with this plot description and I'll get to the good stuff in a moment. Madame Souza lives in a small house in the French countryside with her grandson and their loyal dog, Bruno. Madame Souza discovers her grandson has a love of riding his bicycle and pushes him to train for the Tour de France. She's a relentless trainer, making him the best rider in the world. While he competes in the race, he is kidnapped -- along with a few other riders -- by some mysterious box-shouldered thugs. Madame Souza follows the kidnappers to Belleville, a sort of twisted version of New York, where she loses their trail. Broke and homeless, she is rescued by the Triplets of Belleville, a singing group who were immensely popular in the 1930s. Together, the Triplets, Madame Souza and Bruno come up with a rescue plan that will use all of their individual talents.

Still with me? OK, now forget the plot and just ask yourself if you're ready for one of the most bizarre and oddly appealing movies so far this year. If you're ready for something wholly different from anything you've seen before, go see The Triplets of Belleville. The film is nominated for the Best Animated Feature Academy Award and faces competition from the monster hit Finding Nemo. However, based on the merits of animation technique and innovation, The Triplets of Belleville runs rings around Nemo. There are so many converging styles of animation on-screen, it's hard to tell what's hand drawn and what's computer-generated. The blend is seamless and satisfyingly entertaining. Add a pinch of a French sense of humor and you've got my pick for the Best Animated Feature of 2003.

One of the things I found most appealing about The Triplets of Belleville is its unabashed joy at being animated. Anything is possible. For those of you that think being animated immediately relegates it to being a movie for children, please note the PG13 rating. This is not strictly for kids. It also doesn't lapse into being overly sarcastic like the "adult-themed" animation found in TV's The Family Guy or The Simpsons. The Triplets of Belleville is imaginative and stylish. It's not afraid to try something new and ridiculous and all the better for the viewer.

Trivia: Although the film is French, there are fewer than four lines of actual dialogue which have been dubbed into English in the US version of the film. (Source: The Internet Movie Database)