''Pet Pals'' ( it, Cuccioli) is an Italian animated television series. It was created by Sergio Manfio while the
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
cartoonist
Giorgio Cavazzano
Giorgio Cavazzano (); born 19 October 1947) is an Italian cartoonist, and one of the most famous Disney comics artists in the world.
Biography
Giorgio Cavazzano was born 19 October 1947 in Venice, Italy. At the age of twelve, Cavazzano started t ...
served as art director. Two feature films based on the series were produced: ''
Cuccioli - Il codice di Marco Polo'' in 2010 and ''
Cuccioli - Il paese del vento'' in 2014.
Plot
The antagonist, Crow Witch, hates the city of
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
, and she wants to drain the Venetian lagoon, but the Pet Pals, an animal team that consists of the six primary protagonists (Holly, a female
cat; Moby, a
dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
; Top Hat, a
rabbit
Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...
; Diva, a female
duck
Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form t ...
; Pio, a
frog
A frog is any member of a diverse and largely Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...
, and Nameless, a
Canary
Canary originally referred to the island of Gran Canaria on the west coast of Africa, and the group of surrounding islands (the Canary Islands). It may also refer to:
Animals Birds
* Canaries, birds in the genera ''Serinus'' and ''Crithagra'' i ...
), completely disagree with this idea. Their religions are
Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
. As The Pet Pals want to fight back the witch's wicked plans, they cannot wait to get started in their most challenging mission to date, which involves finding
Marco Polo
Marco Polo (, , ; 8 January 1324) was a Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in ''The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known as ''Book of the Marv ...
's Code and saving Venice, even if this means putting their busy lives on hold for a while.
Characters
*Olly - The shrewd and wise kitten of the group, she has brisk and hasty ways, with a direct and colorful language. Original voice actress: Monica Ward
*Top Hat- The goofy and troublemaking rabbit athlete . He is in love with Diva, but she only returns him with punches in the head. Original voice actor : Edoardo Nevola
*Pio - The eccentric and funny frog . He is a skilled imitator, a faculty that will often help the protagonists get out of trouble. Speak with a loud, low r. His face resembles Rayman's . Original voice actor: Luigi Rosa
*Portable - The cultured, calm and sweet dog of letters, uses polished language and is a real mine of information. It is called that because as a child he swallowed a mobile phone, which sometimes rings in his stomach. Original voice actor: Paolo Lombardi
*Diva - The vain and impulsive fashion expert duck . With her comical pretense of being a prima donna, she often gets the group into trouble. He vents the failures of his claims by punching Cilindro in the head. Original voice actress: Laura Lenghi
*Senzanome - The smallest of the group. It is a chick that has never learned to speak and expresses itself using signs depicting objects of all kinds. Many times the figures take shape and the Cubs use the objects created to get out of the way.
*Piccolo Mago - Manuel Meli original voice actor
*Crow Sorceress - The wicked sorceress who wants to capture puppies. Original voice actors: Paola Giannetti and Graziella Polesinanti
**Cuncun and Canbaluc - They are two ermines henchmen of Maga Cornacchia, faithful, but a bit stupid. Original voice actors : Franco Mannella and Enrico Di Troia
*Ambrogio - Original voice actor Gerolamo Alchieri
*Methuselah - The wise and intelligent tree that appears only in the Spin-off The Mini Cuccioli. Original voice actor : Piero Di Blasio.
Episodes
See also
*
List of Italian television series
References
Website
*
2003 Italian television series debuts
Italian children's animated television series
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