Event

Allegro Non Troppo

Something of a Fantasia for adults, Allegro Non Troppo intercuts slapstick live-action sequences -- which relay the story of a beleaguered animator's (Maurizio Nichetti) ongoing battle with an Oliver Hardy-like orchestra conductor -- and animated sequences, set to classical music, which visually interpret selected works of Debussy, Dvorak, Ravel, Sibelius, Vivaldi, and Stravinsky. The liveliest piece, set to Ravel's Bolero, delineates a series of "spontaneous generations" from an abandoned Coke bottle. The most haunting piece, set to Sibelius' Valse Triste, depicts a forlorn cat wandering the ruins of a condemned building and constantly hallucinating that he is back in the lap of luxury. Allegro Non Troppo is the brainchild of gifted Italian animator Bruno Bozzetto.

"It's not only a hilarious send-up of Disney's excesses but a splendid cartoon feature in its own right -- funny and imaginative and lively." Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

"A must for animation buffs." - eFilmcritics.com

"Bozzetto's satire serves both Darwin and Genesis." CinePassion

"Brilliant Italian parody of "Fantasia."" Phil Hall, Wired