For
decades, Sicily was a stronghold for Italian monarchist politics. It must have
been because of the bears. According to Dino Buzzati’s 1945 children’s book,
the bruin-kind were once in charge here. In fact, the bear king was rather
popular, until his administration fell victim to the sort of jealousies and
shortsightedness that are typically the specialty of mortal men. Lorenzo Mattotti
adapted Buzzati’s epic fable, The Bears’ Famous Invasion of Sicily as a
French-Italian animated co-production, which screens as the opening night
feature of the Alliance Française’s 2020 Animation First Festival, in New York.
This
will be a tale told by Gedeone the troubadour, wisely selected to appeal to the
bear, whose lair he entered uninvited. Leonce was a wise bear king, but he
slides into a funk of depression when his beloved son Tonio is abducted by
hunters. His brooding inaction even jeopardizes the survival of the bearsfolk,
since winter is fast approaching. Fortunately, a sage elder bear convinces him
to invade the Grand Duchy of Sicily, in the hope of finding both food and
Tonio. It will be a pitched battle, with momentum swinging from the bears to
the tyrannical Grand Duke and back again. The wildcard will be the court sorcerer
De Ambrosiis, who was never fully appreciated by his corrupt boss.
Eventually,
the bears defeat the Duke, largely because the humans are well ready to be rid
of him—De Ambrossiis first and foremost. However, Gedeone’s attentive audience
has the second part of the story. Alas, Leonce won the war, but it turns out he
lost the peace, largely because when the bears accepted the mantel of human
power, they started exhibiting human corruption, arrogance, and ambition. Turns
out Lord Acton’s dictum and Public Choice Economic Theory apply just as much to
bears in power as they do to men.
Famous
Invasion feels
like an accessible children’s story in the moment, but its thematic depth resonates
long after viewing. There is definitely a lot of wisdom in its depiction of human
nature and bear nature. Similarly, the animation is deceptively simple, in an
elegant way the evokes the vibe of classic European illustration. Presumably,
it is largely inspired from popular editions of Buzzati’s source novel. Visually,
it is a striking film, most notably in the picturesque backdrops and the strong
use of deep, warm colors. The character designs also have a great deal of
charm, particularly the bears—as you would certainly hope. Paul Grimault’s The King and the Mockingbird leans more towards the humorous, but it is still
not a bad comparison in terms of style.
You
can’t beat a film filled with talking bears, especially one that is this
intelligent and sophisticated. Maybe its time to give the bears another shot
running things. Regardless, this is a film that really will entertain viewers
of just about every age group. Very highly recommended, The Bears’ Famous
Invasion of Sicily screens this Friday (2/7), the opening night of
Animation First.
