27/03/2014 - The second installment in the series by Sergio and Francesco Manfio sees its main characters actively include young audience members. A Gruppo Alcuni production in theatres from 27 March

Blowing, dancing, clapping of hands and singing. Children will hardly stay still when watching Cuccioli - Il paese del vento [+see also:
trailer
film profile], coming out in Italian movie theatres on March 27. The second instalment in the series by Sergio and Francesco Manfio, after Cuccioli - Il codice di Marco Polo [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (2010), has taken a bet on interactivity, with an environmental message: inviting audiences to actively participate in its heroes’ adventures (the films are based on the RAI series by the same name) and bringing them closer to the theme of alternative energy through games.  

Olly the cat, Senzanome the chick, Diva the duck, Portatile the puppy, Cilindro the rabbit and Pio the frog will this time seek to defend Soffio, a small village where everything works on wind power. Cornacchia the witch wants to take control of the windmill generating the wind in order to control the city. “The central elements of the tale revolve around the ideas of a group and non violence,” says Sergio Manfio, the director, screenwriter and songwriter for the film. “After much reflection and confrontation with experts, we opted for an interactive cut, which interrupts itself every now and then and turns its attention towards the audience: participation from children was of upmost importance for emotional and educational purposes.”

“We have the experience of 156 television episodes,” says Francesco Manfio, the co-screenwriter and executive producer. “Making a feature film like this seemed crazy, but it was our way of supporting Italian culture, producing 98% of the film in Italy and involving over 200 people between 25 and 30 years old who have been working with us for years.”

The Cuccioli television series is featured in 61 countries across the world daily. First instalment, Cuccioli - Il codice di Marco Polo, came out in 36 countries and was particularly successful in Spain. This second instalment – once more produced by Gruppo Alcuni, one of Italy’s most vibrant animation centres, which was founded by the Manfios in 1973 – is undergoing talks for sales across the world, including in the United States. The Italian public will start seeing it from March 27 in 200 movie theatres with 01 Distribution, also in 3D.

(Translated from Italian)