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The birth of Italian animation

A special program by Carlo Montanaro

Fascinating and now widely recognized, to the point of being featured in international festival
competitions, animation cinema is the result of continuous reinvention by its creators. They evolve from
simple, pure drawing to using rodovetro (cel), a diverse and complex array of objects (puppets, cut-outs),
or increasingly powerful graphic tablets. Yet, despite these advancements, animation still allows an artist
to remain completely alone with his creativity at every stage of the process. But animation established
itself at different times across various countries. In Italy, it arrived rather late—if the first known film (as
no earlier records exist) can be traced back to the final frame of a work from 1909/10.

The story of Lulù surrealistically recalls similar experiences from beyond the Alps, especially since it
manages to tell its tale “from the knee down.” Yet, it was only about thirty years later that mature and
fully developed animation experiences resumed, even embracing the advent of color. A pioneer in this
field was Antonio Rubino, a renowned and highly distinctive illustrator, with Nel paese dei ranocchi (In
the Land of the Frogs). Meanwhile, in 1941, Roberto Sgrilli's Anacleto e la faina (Anacleto and the
Weasel) reflected, like many others around the world, the strong influence of the Disney universe.
Another key figure was Francesco Maurizio Guido, known as Gibba, a Genoese artist who moved to
Rome after World War II. He almost co-created a short film about a “jeep” with another remarkable
illustrator, Federico Fellini. Gibba continued working with Fellini, driven by a neorealist vision, crafting
the inspired and poignant L’ultimo sciuscià (The Last Shoeshine Boy).
Then, in 1953, a young Venetian artist attempted to establish animation technology in the very heart of the
city, producing a fairy tale adaptation, La piccola fiammiferaia (The Little Match Girl). Like many who
began in animation—often within the Disney sphere—he later became a master and a leading figure in
Italian comics. Few other works from that era remain, as Italian animation had to rely on advertising to
survive and eventually thrive, transitioning from the big screen to television.

Thanks to the Cineteca del Friuli, Istituto Luce, and our cherished memories of Gibba, who has since left
us, we can retrace these fascinating milestones—not only from a historiographical perspective but as a
celebration of a rich and evolving art form.

The Story of Lulà
Director: Arrigo Frusta
Photography: Giovanni Vitrotti
Production: Ambrosio; 1909/10, 5', mute

The first film told “from the knee down”, where settings and costumes manage to show in a wonderful
way the social rise of a countrywoman, from the hills to the city. the last scene is the oldest sequence in
“animation” of italian cinema, achieved through “step one” with tridimensional objects (two pairs of
shoes)

The Land of Frogs
Director: Antonio Rubino
Consultant: Ugo Amadoro
Technician (Agfacolor): Luigi Minaldi
Music: Raffaele Gervasio
Production: Incom, 1941, 7'

The great illustrator Antonio Rubino builds up with great ability an extremely attractive world,
magnificently exalted by an appropriate use of Agfacolor.

Anacleto and The Stone Marten
Director: Roberto Sgrilli
Technical Consultant: Gaetano Ventimiglia
Photography (Agfacolor): Aldo Angelici
Music: Gino Filippini
Production: Bassoli, 1941, 8'

The ugly duckling, forerunner of Calimero. The rising italian animation as a confrontation with the disney
universe.

The Last Shoeshine
Director: Gibba
Production Direction: Giannetto Beniscelli
Music: Costantino Ferri
Production: AlfaCircusFilm, 1947, 11'

A neorealist attempt to outline a poetic inspiration, a unique and unrepeatable experiment.

The Little Match Girl
Director: Romano Scarpa
Music: Quartetto Cetra
Production: Mario Casamassima, 1953, 5' 30”

Produced at the Animation Studio which Scarpa opened in the 1940s in Venice, it is based on Hans
Christian Andersen's The Little Match Girl).

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