Summaries

When her grandson is kidnapped during the Tour de France, Madame Souza and her beloved pooch Bruno team up with the Belleville Sisters--an aged song-and-dance team from the days of Fred Astaire--to rescue him.

Madame Souza, an elderly woman, instills in her grandson Champion (for who she acts as his guardian) a love of cycling. As a young man, he does become a dedicated road racer with his grandmother as his trainer. During a mountainous leg of the Tour de France in which Champion is racing, he goes missing. Evidence points to him being kidnapped. Indeed, he and two of his competitors were kidnapped, the kidnappers who want to use the threesome's unique skills for nefarious purposes. With Champion's overweight and faithful pet dog Bruno at her side, Madame Souza goes looking for Champion. Their trek takes them overseas to the town of Belleville. Without any money, Madame Souza and Bruno are befriended and taken in by three eccentric elderly women, who were once the renowned jazz singing group The Triplets of Belleville. The triplets help Madame Souza and Bruno try to locate and rescue Champion.—Huggo

Lonely Champion can only feel joy when he is riding a bicycle. After discovering the boy's knack for cycling, his grandmother becomes his trainer, aiming for the demanding Tour de France annual men's bicycle race. However, Champion's prowess as a cyclist soon catches the attention of the feared French mafia. As grandma and her faithful hound, Bruno, embark on a desperate mission beyond the ocean to find the kidnapped grandson, an unexpected ally comes to the rescue. Can the faded music hall stars, The Triplets of Belleville, save the day?—Nick Riganas

An orphaned boy, Champion, is raised by his grandmother, Madame Souza. Her gift of a tricycle starts a craze for cycle-racing that becomes the cornerstone of their life together. After years of relentless training, Champion makes it to the Tour de France, the toughest cycling event in the world. Alas, Champion and a handful of other top competitors are mysteriously kidnapped by a pair of sinister crooks with hangdog expressions. Supported by her faithful sidekick, her fat and flatulent dog Bruno, Madame Souza sets off to rescue her beloved Champion. An epic adventure leads them across the Atlantic to a vast seaport metropolis named Belleville, headquarters of the notorious French mafia. Lost and confused in the threatening darkness of the great city, Madame Souza and Bruno encounter the Belleville Triplettes, who, in their youth, were a glamorous close-harmony act. Now, these three batty old women are now a bizarre jazz combo. Mme Souza joins the band. At their very first gig, she discovers Champion is being held captive by the mafia Godfather himself! All hell breaks loose, and the chase is on! Do Mme Souza, her dim dog, and the Triplettes have what it takes to outsmart the ruthless French mafia and release poor Champion from its clutches?—Laurens Koehoorn

Madame Souza raises her grandson Champion and tries to make him happier with a baby dog, Bruno. However, the boy remains sad, and the grandmother gives a tricycle for him. The boy gets excited with the gift, and trained by Madame Souza along the years, he finally competes the Tour de France. When Champion is kidnapped by two MIBs from the French mafia, Madame Souza and Bruno travel to Belleville to rescue him, with the support of the elder singers, the Belleville Sisters.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Details

Keywords
  • dog
  • mafia
  • france
  • very little dialogue
  • tour de france
Genres
  • Adventure
  • Comedy
  • Drama
  • Animation
  • Sport
  • Music
Release date Jun 10, 2003
Motion Picture Rating (MPA) PG-13
Countries of origin Canada United Kingdom France South Korea Belgium Latvia
Language French Portuguese
Production companies Les Armateurs Vivi Film Production Champion

Box office

Budget $9500000
Gross US & Canada $7007149
Opening weekend US & Canada $108080
Gross worldwide $14776760

Tech specs

Runtime 1h 20m
Color Color Black and White
Sound mix Dolby Digital
Aspect ratio 1.66 : 1

Synopsis

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