Buoyed by two Oscar noms and possible wins, The Triplets of Belleville will make its home video debut on May 4. Director Sylvain Chomet’s beautifully animated 2D feature premiered at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and enjoyed a limited U.S. theatrical run courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
Giving Nemo a run for its money, Triplets has been voted Best Picture on more than 50 critics’ Year’s Best lists including The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times. The film has also garnered Best Animated Feature awards from respected film organizations such as the New York Film Critics Circle, Los Angeles Film Critics Association, Seattle Film Critics and San Diego Film Critics Society. Last week, the film’s music by Benoit Charest also received a Cesar Award (French Oscar) for Best Music for a Film.
The Triplets of Belleville follows the adventures of Madame Souza, who, with dog Bruno in tow, crosses the ocean in a paddleboat to rescue her bicycling champion grandson from the French Mafia. Along the way, she meets up with the title trio, a once popular music-hall act from the ’30s, who take Madame Souza and Bruno under their collective wing and pull out a few surprises when it comes time for the big rescue.
DVD extra features will include a featurette titled The Cartoon According to writer/director Sylvain Chomet, a making-of featurette, and three other behind-the-scenes featurettes with commentary on the opening sequence, the "Restaurant Performance" and "Tuning the Wheel." Also included is a music video for the Academy Award-nominated song "Belleville Rendez-Vous."
The Triplets of Belleville runs 81 Minutes and is rated PG-13 for some brief cartoon nudity and violence. The Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment release will retail for $24.96 on DVD.
