Thirty-seven years after Disney unveiled their masterpiece FANTASIA, the animation master from Italy Bruno Bozetto set out to satirize the famed piece of animated art.
A real life presenter (Maurizio Micheli) introduces the film as a truly revolutionary experiment in animation, after which he receives a phone call telling him that the whole thing has been done before by some guy named Pisney. Undeterred, the presenter soldiers on introducing the audience to the fat, cigar-chomping orchestra master (Nestor Garay), the orchestra consisting of only old women who may not even know how to play their instruments and the animator (Maurizio Nichetti), who has been chained to a wall for the past five years.
It this kind silly anarchy that bridges the animated musical segments. The first segment is set to Debussy's "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun" where an aging faun tries to find love with various beautiful women. The segment is sweet and touching and a direct satire of the similar sequence from FANTASIA. However, Bozetto doesn’t hide the sexuality that was only hinted at in the Disney approach. Dvorak’s “Slavian Dance” provides the soundtrack for a tale typical of Bozetto’s work, skewering politics. Here Bozetto makes a quick and humorous comment of just how far people will follow their leaders. Next is Ravel’s “Bolero,” which is a parade through evolution and a brilliant comment on the dawn of man. Sibelius’ “Valse Triste” plays over the story of a cute kitten who longs to have a real home again. The sentimental tale is rendered quite touching by the beautifully animated and color drawings. This segment actually spurs the funniest joke in the live-action segments. In a call for some humor by the conductor, Vivaldi’s “Concert in C-Major” supplies the music for a funny story of a bee, a flower and a bothersome couple of humans. The final segment set to Stravinsky’s “The Firebird” looks at the Adam and Eve tale from a new perspective, chronicling what may have happened if Adam and Eve resisted and the snake ate the apple.
All the animated segments are top-notch, weaving together the silly with the poignant. The live-action segments are bearable for the most part, but at times run too long. When the animated world breaks into the real world, we some nice flares of life. Bozetto’s famed character Mr. Rossi even shows up for a moment. The DVD that is available in the U.S. also includes a host of Bozetto’s great short work, which is highly worth one’s time as well. ALLEGRO NON TROPPO is a more adult themed take on the FANTASIA experiment, which is smart, fun and joyous.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
