In the vertical town of Positano, Cartoons on the Bay brings film, fun and culture to the beach. All images unless otherwise indicated courtesy of Cartoons on the Bay/RAI Trade. Photo (right) courtesy of Heather Kenyon.

The Bay is sensational. Positano is worth visiting, whatever may be happening within it, even if you missed Sophia Loren growing up there. But with the Cartoons On The Bay festival, directed by the dauntless and dedicated Alfio Bastiancich and his formidable crew, there was a clear call for any animator to be present at the end of April 2005.

It is a small festival, and Positano is a small place, with all of the structures and houses virtually pasted onto the surrounding cliffs. In this vertical town, there is no horizontal space for a movie theater or any kind of a hall, so the enterprising Alfio actually built a temporary theater right on the beach, all made up of scaffolding and tenting materials, housing the latest in digital projection and sound equipment, focused on a vast white movie screen. It was there that all of the films in competition were shown. Smaller events and conferences took place in a hotel meeting hall, festooned with large plasma screens, and with an adjacent veranda on which to breathe in the Mediterranean Sea.

I’m not going to name the bombastic adventure films that I hated, overloaded with CGI wonders but little else of value. No doubt devotees of warp speed action in exotic locales, deafening sound effects, and pseudo-mystocismic dialog may well love that stuff. I found it all embarrassingly empty. But appreciating the efforts and techno-care that went into it all, I refrain from criticizing the hard work of others. I would much rather praise the many worthy films for children. After all, that is my racket, and I appreciated all the ways the creators found to bring meaningful content to children. I certainly agreed with the double prizes awarded for Peppa Pig by Mark Baker and Neville Astley. I wish I had done it!

Peter Lord was at Cartoons by the Bay to give an entertaining presentation about Aardman Animation.

The event that I enjoyed the most was the Aardman Animation presentation by Peter Lord. My feeling is that his studio, especially with the brilliance of Nick Park, makes up a Kings of Comedy gang!

And how could I fail to love a festival that saw fit to honor me with an elegant “Career Award Pulcinella” inspired by the famous Bendazzi design. Once again I have beat out the competition merely by remaining alive!

On the other hand, the Gavioli Brothers greatly deserved their award for virtually creating the Italian school of animation.

Zdenka and I also enjoyed the splendid accommodations in the Palazzo Murat Hotel, with a canopied bed and a balcony not only looking out at the sea, but also down at the open air breakfast terrace, featuring enough calories for the most non-fastidious.

Another perk was a boat trip to the fabled isle of Capri, where Zdenka and I honeymooned over 40 years ago. All of this, and the films, were followed by frosty white wine, and everything that virgin olive oil can bless.

When we see the care and the loving organizations all over the world that are set up to honor our profession, and to see the breadth and unlimited possibilities that animation constantly discovers, we are all blessed to be a part of this insane but peculiarly satisfying line of work.