25/02/2022
Legendary cyclist Gino Bartali inspires an animated feature film
The cyclist Gino Bartali has inspired numerous film and television productions and, now, work is starting on an interesting animated feature film.
The feature film currently in production is titled Bartali's Bicycle (working title) and will be directed to an audience of young people and families, produced by Toonz Media Group together with the Italian companies Lynx Multimedia Factory and Rai Ragazzi and the Irish Telegael, scheduled to reach the public in 2023.
"Gino Bartali was not only a great cycling champion, but a man who risked his life to fight racism and discrimination and for this he was honored as Righteous among the nations. In a world still plagued by wars and conflicts, his fast and brave bicycle is a symbol of peace for kids and families. That is why RAI has promoted the project of this important film from the very beginning." said Luca Milano, Director of RAI Kids.
Set in the modern days, the 80-minute film will follows two young boys from rivaling communities who are brought together by their shared love for cycling. As the producers explain: "Bartali saved many Jewish lives during the Nazi occupation of Italy by concealing their documents in his bicycle. The feature begins 60 years later, when Bartali’s bicycle becomes the tool and symbol of victory for David, a smart and sensitive Jewish boy. David accepts the challenge of winning a cycling championship together with his Arab friend Ibrahim, violating rules but making peace and tolerance triumph between their communities."
A film that talks about tolerance, diversity and teamwork, which are still very important these days.
"Bartali's Bicycle is a story that will resonate with audiences all across the world. It is exactly the kind of story that Toonz is committed to relate to the younger generation. This is, indeed, a prestigious project for Toonz and we are very excited to team up with our amazing partners for this international co-production," said Toonz Media Group CEO P. Jayakumar.
The development, pre-production and post-production phases will be handled by the Italian Lynx Studio. The animations will be produced at the Indian studios of Toonz while the backgrounds and audio post-production will be handled by the Irish Emmy Award-winning Telegael studios (owned by the Toonz group).
The creative team is lead by director Enrico Paolantonio, with Sabrina Callipari head of production and the original idea of the late Roman writer Israel Cesare Moscati, also author of the screenplay with Marco Beretta. The design of the characters is handled by Corrado Mastantuono and the backgrounds design by Andrea Pucci.
The first image can be found in the head, while below a few seconds of the first demo taken from the Lynx studios showreel:
[ Fra - source AnimationMagazine ]
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