La Freccia Azzurra (The Blue Arrow)

La Freccia Azzurra (The Blue Arrow) is a film that uses computers in a highly refined manner; so much so, that one hardly notices. Guided by an electronic brain, its camera is able to execute tracking shots and pans which one only thought possible in a live-action movie; drawn with pixels, the film's characters are seen across 30-40 levels, with each one staying in perfect focus. This is one of the secrets to the basic "lightness" of a film like no other, one which tells an amusing and fun-loving fairy tale set in the 30s, with the touch of a modern electronic storyteller. Scarafoni...

By Giannalberto Bendazzi | Wednesday, January 1, 1997 at 12:00 am

La Befana and Scarafoni in La Freccia Azzurra by Enzo d'Alò.

One question remains: What role will The Blue Arrow play in Italian theatrical animation? We don't yet know the box office results yet, but perhaps it will mark the end of sporadic, improvised and often unfulfilling productions. La Laterna Magica has already scheduled a TV series based on the film; also, the Lega della Cooperative has proposed, in Turin, a project to be funded by both municipal and regional governments: an animation center in the royal city, consisting of production, research and most importantly professional educational facilities. While the animation industries around the world have been rapidly expanding, and now Italy, if it does not get bogged down with the usual inertia, may have reached the turning point where it can join the rest of the world.

La Freccia Azzurra (The Blue Arrow). Adapted from an original story by Gianni Rodari. Screenplay: Enzo d'Alò and Umberto Marino. Director of Animation: Silvio Pautasso. Executive Producer: Maria Fares. Director: Enzo d'Alò. Italy-Switzerland-Luxembourg, 1996.