By Ron Wilkinson Feb 5, 2010, 17:26 GMT
With animation like this it is no wonder kids develop ADD. The current generation of Python influenced animation talent comes to a screen near you
Now for something completely different. Even more frantic than the 2003 animated bicycle kidnapping epic “The Triplets of Belleville” this hyper-active flick starts off with the mysterious disappearance of walls and ends up with a skin-of-their-teeth survival adventure to the center of the earth. A first glance the whacky stuff of Saturday morning cartoon shows (started with the 2003 cult classic TV series by Canal+ in Belgium and France), the film has an undercurrent to it that makes it entertaining to adults. At least it could be entertaining to adults who want to work hard enough.
The story features three main characters, Cowboy, Indian and Horse (voices performed with Monty Python silliness by Stéphane Aubier, Bruce Ellison and Vincent Patar). Horse spends more time taking piano lessons from the demanding and sexy mare Madame Longrée (Jeanne Balibar). In fact, he harbors a secret love for his piano teacher; a love that is evinced in the skillful and fearless automobile driving. He is rarely ridden by either Cowboy or Indian and seems to do most of the thinking for the trio.
This is the adult theme of an otherwise childish movie; to make fun of cultural stereotypes and thereby to improve the world. Successful? You be the judge.
In spite of his intelligence, it is the walls of Horse’s house that are stolen in a mysterious conspiracy that pits strange aliens against the fearless trio. At the heart of the crime is an underground lab manned by weakling scientists who actually turn out to be super-strong martial arts experts. Although white frocked and bespectacled, they can bounce a horse off a wall faster than you can say “quel dommage.” When they team up with the mechanized penguin that throws giant snow balls, you know there is going to be trouble.
Delivered at a fever pitch the sound track seems inspired by a dedication to be louder and more strident than Python no matter what it takes. The scientist and the riveted steel plate penguin certainly do not present a complimentary look at the world of science and technology but then nobody is perfect. The thoughtful and disciplined piano teacher herself appears to become inundated with the hard rock music she is teaching at the same time the three protagonists are falling to the center of the earth.
Hands on directors Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar chose the stop-motion figures for this film from their library reputed to contain some 1500 plastic toy figures over 260 days of production. The toys used for Cowboy, Indian and Horse were chosen from countless garage sales more for their generic appearance then for either their accuracy or form or excitement of color. It is precisely their super-normalcy that makes their super-human antics so funny. The major figures required as many as 200 animated “clones” for each main figure. In terms of stop-action frames this film may set the all-time record, at least the record for anything done without a studio full of computer jocks in California. The barracuda flying through the air in formation hearken back to a Pythonesque inspiration. Either that or perhaps the flying salmon of the Seattle Pike Place Market.
As one would imagine, it all works out in the end.
Directed and Written by: Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar
Featuring: Susan George, Joseph Stiglitz, Eric Toussaint Narration by: Martin Sheen
Release: December 16, 2009MPAA: Not RatedRuntime: 75 minutes Country: Belgium / Luxembourg / France Language: French Color: Color
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