Bruno Bozzetto (born 3 March 1938) is an Italian

cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of imag ...

animator and film director, creator of many short pieces, mainly of a

political Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studi ...

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or ...

nature. He created his first animated short "Tapum! the weapons' story" in 1958 at the age of 20. His most famous character, a hapless little man named " Signor Rossi" (Mr. Rossi), has been featured in many animated shorts as well as starring in three feature films: '' Mr. Rossi Looks for Happiness'' (1976), '' Mr. Rossi's Dreams'' (1977), and '' Mr. Rossi's Vacation'' (1977).

Biography

In 1965, Bozzetto produced his first feature-length animated film: ''

West and Soda ''West and soda'' (also known as ''The West Way Out'') is a 1965 traditionally animated Italian feature film directed by Bruno Bozzetto. It is a parody of the traditional American Western. In an interview, Bozzetto claimed to have invented th ...

'', a parody of American Western films. In 1968, Bozzetto released '' VIP my Brother Superman'', a superhero spin-off. However, his best-known work is probably the 1976 feature film '' Allegro Non Troppo'', a collection of short pieces set to classical music in the manner of

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

's ''

Fantasia Fantasia International Film Festival (also known as Fantasia-fest, FanTasia, and Fant-Asia) is a film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996. Regularly held in July of each year, it is valued by both hardcor ...

'', but more humorous in nature, economical in execution and with more sophisticated narrative themes. After a long break, Bozzetto produced a live-action film in 1987, ''

Under the Chinese Restaurant ''Under the Chinese Restaurant'' ( it, Sotto il ristorante cinese, also known as ''Trouble in Paradise'') is a 1987 Italian fantasy-comedy film written and directed by Bruno Bozzetto. It is the first and only live action film by Bozzetto. Cast ...

'', his last feature film work until assisting on the pilot for ''Mammuk'' (2002), an animated film set in prehistoric times (now being produced by Rai Cinema and The Animation Band). 1990 saw the release of '' Grasshoppers (Cavallette)'', which was an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nominee for the

Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film The Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film is an award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as part of the annual Academy Awards, or Oscars, since the 5th Academy Awards (with different names), covering the year 1 ...

in 1991. In 1995, he produced an animated short for

Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...

Cartoon Network Studios Cartoon Network Studios is an American animation studio owned by the Warner Bros. Television Studios division of Warner Bros., a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. The studio is the production arm of Cartoon Network, and started operating ...

' ''

What a Cartoon! ''What a Cartoon!'' (later known as ''The What a Cartoon! Show'' and ''The Cartoon Cartoon Show'') is an American animated anthology series created by Fred Seibert for Cartoon Network. The shorts were produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions; by ...

'' series entitled ''Help?'' and in 1996, in cooperation with RAI and with the support of Cartoon (Media Programme of the European Union), he created '' The Spaghetti Family'', a 26-episode cartoon television series. Since 1999, Bozzetto turned to flash cartoons, most notably with the award-winning ''Europe and Italy'', a witty and graphically elegant commentary on European vs. Italian socio-cultural attributes. This comic also inspired the creation of the

Polandball Countryballs, also known as Polandball, is an art style and internet meme used in online comic strips in which countries are typically personified as imperfect spherical characters (there are some exceptions, such as Israel, Nepal, Kazakhsta ...

meme.

Filmography

Feature films

* ''

'' (1965) * ''The SuperVips'' (''Vip - Mio fratello superuomo'') (1968) * '' Mr. Rossi Looks for Happiness'' (1976) * '' Allegro non troppo'' (1976) * '' Mr. Rossi's Dreams'' (''I sogni del Signor Rossi'') (1977) * '' Mr. Rossi's Vacation'' (''Le vacanze del Signor Rossi'') (1978) * '' Sotto il ristorante cinese'' (1987)

Shorts

This list is only a short sampling of the many shorts Bozzetto has put out over the years. * ''Life in a Tin'' (1967) * ''Opera'' (1973) * ''Self Service'' (1974) * ''Striptease'' (1977) * ''Baby Story'' (1978) * ''Moa Moa'' (1984) * ''Baeus'' (1987) * '' Cavallette'' (''Grasshoppers'') (1990) * ''Big Bang'' (1990) * ''Dancing'' (1991) * ''Help?'' (1996) * ''Europe & Italy'' (1999) * ''Yes & No - A Dyseducational Road Movie'' (2001) * ''Olympics'' (2003) * ''Mr. Otto in 17'' (2004) * ''Looo'' (2004) * ''Sex and Fun'' (2007) * ''Camuni'' (2009) * ''EU and USA'' (2018) * ''Ecosystem'' (2019)

Awards (selected recent)

* (2003)

Bergamo Bergamo (; lmo, Bèrghem ; from the proto- Germanic elements *''berg +*heim'', the "mountain home") is a city in the alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from Switzerland, the alpine lakes Com ...

International Cinema Festival: Career award ''(Premio delle mura)'' * (2001)

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

Second International Animation Festival: Special Award of the Jury (“Europe and Italy”) * (2000) World Festival of Animated Film - Animafest Zagreb: Special Jury Award "for original observation of human diversity" * (1998) Animafest Zagreb: Life Achievement Award "for outstanding and universal contribution to the development of the art of animation"

References

External links

*
Bruno Bozzetto's home page

Bozzetto's project in (34 mb) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bozzetto, Bruno 1938 births Italian animated film directors Italian animated film producers Italian comics artists Italian satirists Italian parodists Parody film directors Film people from Milan Living people Flash artists