Les Triplettes de Belleville

A movie which bears more than a passing resemblance to the forthcoming 'Spirited Away' certainly in terms of the scope of its ambition, Les Triplettes de Belleville is a loose but fiercely intelligent animated movie.

Brash and inventive, Les Triplettes de Belleville is a strange adventure which follows the unfortunate Champion. Having being trained by his devoted granny, Madame Souza, to be a world class cyclist, the Champster is kidnapped by criminal sorts just as he's poised to build up an unassailable lead in the Tour de France. Suitably distraught by this, Champion's Granny and his faithful hound Bruno have to storm the mob's bizarre fusion city of Belleville to save the day. On this quest, they're joined by the Belleville Sisters, an old trio of singers who claim to count Fred Astaire as one of their own working colleagues.

Despite its distinct lack of dialogue, Belleville Rendez-Vous is compelling stuff which offers a much needed shot in the arm for the animated genre. Written and directed with a witty urgency by the talented Donda, the movie bristles with a fearsome intelligence without being waylaid by its own sense of importance. Quirky without being self-indulgent - Hollywood should be taking notes. Lots of them.