Those who may have missed director Sylvain Chomet's charming Oscar-nominated animated feature The Triplets of Belleville during its all-too-brief and limited theatrical run can now witness the inventive feature thanks to this release from Columbia/TriStar Home Entertainment. Presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, the image is spotless in addition to offering a great presentation of the film's varying color scheme. The only true argument that could be made against the transfer is the ugly intrusion of edge-enhancement. Though viewers with standard televisions won't notice the tell-tale glowing edges that, in addition to being entirely unnecessary, are impossible to ignore after one becomes aware of them, viewers with large, high-definition, anamorphic-friendly televisions will, no doubt, find this distracting. Audio is offered in a choice of English or Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, offering a clean reproduction of the wonderful sound scheme and a great vehicle for the infectious music featured in the film. Though played down somewhat on the packaging, the extra features provided on this release offer some great insight into the film's production. Commentaries are separated into three scene-specific segments: "Opening Sequence," "Restaurant Performance," and "Tuning the Wheel." Viewers are treated to a perfect mixture of technical and fun facts -- with the final segment offering a great showcase for the film's remarkable foley work. A featurette entitled "The Cartoon According to Sylvain Chomet" is a nice (albeit somewhat brief) learning tool for aspiring animators, and an appropriately surreal music video for "Bellville Rendez-Vous" will have Chomet and songwriter Beno~t Charest's earworm title tune echoing in viewers' heads for days. A fun theatrical trailer rounds out the features nicely.
This user is a My Best Buy® Elite Member, who has spent $1,500 on eligible purchases and is now getting 1.10 points per dollar. They may have received My Best Buy® bonus points for submitting reviews.
This reviewer is a member of the Best Buy Tech Insider Network Program. This invitation-only program provides BestBuy.com reviewers with manufacturer-supplied products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased and usage-based reviews. Outside of receiving products to test and review, Best Buy Tech Insider Network Reviewers are not compensated in any other way.
I first saw this movie with a live performance of the music by the movie’s soundtrack composer and band. I loved the music, and for that alone I would buy the DVD. The animation is done in a retro style reminiscent of the 1940’s. The storyline and movie is difficult to characterize. As some of the professional movie critics have put it, it is bizarre, grotesque,disturbing and funny all at the same time. It has a very Tim Burton movie kind of feel. If you’re a fan of 1940’s jazz or quirky animation, this movie is for you.