The Triplets of Belleville

Many berets in The Triplets of Belleville.

Champion is a lonely little boy whose only passion in life is his bicycle. As the years go by, he enters the world-famous cycling race 'Le Tour de France' and there starts the beginning of his eventful quest across the ocean, accompanied by his faithful dog Bruno and adopted grandmother, Madame de Souza.

The movie is an allegory about the commercialization and professionalization of the entertainment industry. It can also be read more broadly as a warning of what we lose in the drive for profit.

The triplets stand for the quirky ways of art driven by the individual artist, rich in texture and poor in budget. The mafia stands for corporations, with boxy identical thugs who merge together (even the seemingly-cutesy character designs turn out to be detailed symbols). The Tour de France is depicted as an event started by bicycle lovers but now pushed so far by competition that the racers are overspecialized freaks who walk awkwardly. The kidnapping is corporate takeover, draining the last dregs of meaning from the event by replacing the travel with machinery.

One could go on and on; about trains, Bruno the dog’s dreams, food, Europe vs. North America.... Every touch is meaningful.