The Three Inventors

1980 0h 13m FR

🙌

7.5

BANGER

★7.5TMDB · 31

Animation

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In a white lace universe, three inventors create machines which are both pretty and useful. Unfortunately people do not understand them...

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Michel Ocelot
Narrator (voice)
Michel Elias
(voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Michel Ocelot
Writers: Michel Ocelot, Michel Ocelot
Languages: French
Countries: France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 13-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

46 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Christian Maire. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Michel Ocelot and Michel Elias carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0216283 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 31 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Michel Ocelot directs. Christian Maire scores. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 13-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
246 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Original score by Christian Maire. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Michel Ocelot and Michel Elias carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0216283 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 31 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Original score: Christian Maire
Runtime: 13 min · 0h 13m
Status: Released
Original language: FR
IMDB: The Three Inventors (1980)

Also by

Michel Ocelot

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-12-31
★ 7/10
An inventor, an inventress and their equally inventive daughter live in an house made of lace. As you’d expect, it is an intricate construction but it’s not just decorative. It’s got it’s own windmill (elegant, of course) and a fairly unique form of central heating that keeps them all cosy as they turn out their very own airship. You might have thought they’d be lauded by their local community but between those who think that they offend the laws of man and those who think that they offend the laws of God, they just can’t get any local engagement. Finally, when they develop their own hydro-powered, horseless, carriage things come to an almost Frankensteinian head! The use of lace is quite a clever conduit for this story of technophobia. The science behind their more industrial creations is no more impressive than the mathematics behind the skills which they use to create them, and it’s all beautifully crafted and nicely scored for a thirteen minutes that illustrates well just how much of a struggle it could be to make progress.

Production companies