The best animated films set in Italy The titles that have told the story of the Peninsula, while awaiting Enrico Casarosa's "Gatto"

In 2027 we can look forward to a new Pixar film set in Italy, once again directed by Enrico Casarosa, already behind the direction of Luca in 2021. The theatrical release of Gatto, the studio's thirty-second title, is scheduled for 4 March 2027 and once again turns the spotlight on the wonderful treasures of Italy's regions. The story in fact takes place in Venice, a magical city of our Peninsula, a perfect stage for the possibilities of animation, its phantasmagoria and its use of colour. As the title of the Pixar work suggests, the protagonist of this brand-new story is Nero the cat, who finds himself in debt to the local feline mafia and must therefore forge an unexpected alliance to survive and change the course of his own destiny. Gatto, however, is not the only title that, in the history of cinema, has placed the magnifying glass on Italy, which, fictional or not, has already appeared in the world of animation, as these five films demonstrate.

Luca by Enrico Casarosa (2021)

Let's start right with him, the aforementioned animated film by Enrico Casarosa. In 2021 Luca was released on Disney+, Pixar's twenty-fourth title, destined for streaming in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. If Gatto is set in Venice, Luca has as its backdrop the seaside air of the Cinque Terre, the flavours of Liguria, the glimpses of a familiar sea, reinvented by the imagination in the fictional town of Portorosso. It is there, going back to the 1950s, that the story of the protagonist who gives the film its title unfolds. Luca is a young sea creature with the ability to transform into a human; he will strike up a friendship with the timid Alberto, alongside whom he will live a series of adventures.

Gatta Cenerentola by Alessandro Rak, Ivan Cappiello, Marino Guarnieri and Dario Sansone (2017)

Two David di Donatello awards for Gatta Cenerentola, an animated film directed by many hands by Alessandro Rak, Ivan Cappiello, Marino Guarnieri and Dario Sansone and released in 2017. The work took home the prize for best producer and best visual effects, as well as earning critical acclaim and a positive reception from audiences. The story is set near a mysterious port in the city of Naples. In a not-too-distant future, the protagonist Mia is held prisoner by a stepmother whose abuses she must endure, inflicted by her and by the young girl's six stepbrothers. Things could, however, change when a family friend decides to help the girl break free from her condition and to bring a little justice back to the city.

La famosa invasione degli orsi in Sicilia by Lorenzo Mattotti (2019)

Dino Buzzati's work, La famosa invasione degli orsi in Sicilia, became an animated film in 2019 at the hands of Lorenzo Mattotti, who took six years for its production. The film was then presented as a premiere in the Un Certain Regard section during the Cannes Film Festival. The plot follows the bear king Leonzi in search of his son Tonio, who has been kidnapped by hunters. At the same time he decides to help a group of humans escape the hostile cold of winter, depicting the difficult coexistence between the two species.

Porco Rosso by Hayao Miyazaki (1992)

«Better a pig than a fascist» is one of the most iconic lines of Hayao Miyazaki's 1992 animated work. Porco rosso has as its protagonist the talented Italian aviator Marco Pagot who, because of a spell, takes on the appearance of a pig. This forces him to retire to private life, while still soaring over the Adriatic Sea and making sure to keep the skies safe from the assault of the air pirates. The film draws inspiration from the manga Hikōtei jidai, conceived by Miyazaki himself.

La freccia azzurra by Enzo D’Alò (1996)

La freccia azzurra is the first title produced by the animation studio Lanterna Magica, as well as the cinematic debut of its director Enzo D’Alò. The work comes to life in Orbetello, a municipality in the province of Grosseto that brings animation into the lands of Tuscany. The town's children await, as they do every year, the arrival of the Befana, ready to deliver gifts to them. Her wicked assistant, however, has a completely different plan, one destined to put the day of celebration at risk.