Bruno Bozzetto (born 3 March 1938) is an Italian

cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently Animation, animated, in an realism (arts), unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or s ...

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

political Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...

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

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" (English: 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'', a parody of American Western films. In 1968, Bozzetto released ''

VIP my Brother Superman ''VIP my Brother Superman'' (), often known in English as ''The SuperVips'', is a 1968 Italian animated film, animated Superhero film, superhero Musical film, musical directed by Bruno Bozzetto. It is a parody of superheroes and enjoyed a good com ...

'', a superhero parody. 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, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...

's '' Fantasia'', 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'', 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, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

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 ...

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

Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ; formerly known as H-B Enterprises, Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. and H-B Production Co.), simply and commonly known as Hanna-Barbera, was an American animation studio and production company, which was acti ...

Cartoon Network Studios Cartoon Network Studios Inc. (abbreviated as CNS or CN Studios) is an American animation studio owned by the Warner Bros. Television Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. The studio is the producti ...

' '' What a Cartoon!'' 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 commentary on European vs. Italian socio-cultural attributes.

Filmography

Feature films

* '' West and Soda'' (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) * ''Ego'' (1969) * ''Opera'' (1973) * ''Self Service'' (1974) * ''Striptease'' (1977) * ''Baby Story'' (1978) * ''Moa Moa'' (1984) * ''Baeus'' (1987) * '' Grasshoppers (Cavallette)'' (1990) * ''Big Bang'' (1990) * ''Dancing'' (1991) * ''Help?'' (1996) * ''Europe & Italy'' (1999) * ''Yes & No - A Dyseducational Road Movie'' (2001) * ''Adam'' (2002) * ''Olympics'' (2003) * ''Mr. Otto in 17'' (2004) * ''Looo'' (2004) * ''Sex and Fun'' (2007) * ''Camuni'' (2009) * ''Lazy Dog'' (2012) * ''EU and USA'' (2018) * ''Ecosystem'' (2019) * ''Sapiens?'' (2024)

Awards (selected recent)

* (2003)

Bergamo Bergamo ( , ; ) is a city in the Alps, alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from the alpine lakes Lake Como, Como and Lake Iseo, Iseo and 70 km (43 mi) from Lake Garda, Garda and Lake ...

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

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

Second International Animation Festival: Special Award of the Jury (“Europe and Italy”) * (2000) World Festival of Animated Film -

Animafest Zagreb World Festival of Animated Film Zagreb (), best known as Animafest Zagreb, is a film festival entirely dedicated to Animation, animated film held annually in Zagreb, Croatia. Initiated by the International Animated Film Association (ASIFA), the e ...

: 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 comedy film directors Italian satirists Italian satirical film directors Italian parodists Italian political artists Italian humorists Parody film directors Film people from Milan Living people Flash artists Italian screenwriters