Movies in the Overflow - Triplets of Belleville

Yup, it's that time of the year again. I just love open-air cinemas, especially when they're free. As part of Sydney Festival 2006, Sydney Olympic Park and Nine Network is sponsoring Movies in the Overflow. Some notable movies include: Madagascar, Shaolin Soccer, Triplets of Belleville, Wallace & Grommit The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Bride and Prejudice, Howl's Moving Castle, and The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.

Tonight's fare is Les Triplettes de Belleville. Heard good things about the movie, but have no idea what it's about. One of those movies where you either like it or hate it. For me, I think my one and a half hours could've been better spent doing something else, but at the moment I have nothing better to do. There's something very appealing in the movie, but I can't put my finger on it. The colors are muted and earthy. The characters are exaggeratedly drawn - most of them obese. This is a semi-silent movie, as the characters make noises and utterances, not speech; except when the Belleville Sisters are singing. You have this plump kid living with his Grandma and a dog. Granny buys Champion a tricycle, which started his passion for cycling. Every day he practises for Tour de France with Granny regulating his training, diet and sleep. During the race, he and two others were picked up by some goons and smuggled into the seaport city of Belleville. Madame Souza and Bruno gave chase and ended up in a foreign place with no shelter, no money, and no food. Fortunately, they met the Triplets of Belleville, and were taken in. The downside is that they have to eat frogs every single day. With some sleuthing, Madame Souza was able to track down Champion. Apparently, the French mafia godfather who abducted the cyclists are using them as pawns in a gambling game. The cyclists are drugged and strapped onto stationary bikes with a screen in front of them showing the Tour de France route. The three cyclists ride and ride until they fall off the bike from exhaustion, and only winner is left. In the end, it's up to Madame Souza and the Belleville Sisters (and Bruno) to rescue Champion from the clutches of the French Mafia.