The triplets of Belleville

(Herald rating * * * *)

Somewhere in Paris, which is not the Paris beloved of romantics, foodies and redecorators but an altogether darker and more menacing place, a small boy and his dog and his grandmother live at the top of a crooked old house which shakes when the Metro goes past. Frequently.

Grandma gives the lad a three-wheeler and then a two-wheeler and soon he is the world's greatest bike racer.

He is the world's greatest bike racer because his grandma is the world's meanest sports trainer. She blows her whistle incessantly to make him pedal ever faster. And that's on the easy days.

One day the lad is kidnapped by a betting ring.

His best, his only hope of rescue comes from the Triplets of Belleville, who were music hall stars in the 20s.

Now we cross the Atlantic to a city which, just as the last one may have been Paris, may be New York, where the storyline and form of this crazed animated feature take on even more offbeat tones, and that's not just because of the 30s' jazz background.

This is that rare beast, a unique movie where the Marquis de Sade meets Lance Armstrong as drawn by Ronald Searle or Gerald Scarfe. And hey, any movie that references Django Reinhardt, Stephane Grappelli and Josephine Baker is all right by me.

Art-geeks and animation freaks will probably get most out of the bonus features: a stunning music video of Belleville Rendez-vous, commentary with film-maker Sylvain Chomet and his animators for three scenes, a 15-minute making-of where the team discuss drawing the characters, the score, animation techniques, and their inspirations. Finally, Chomet explains his drawing techniques.

* Dvd, video rental 11 May