Supelice Dreadfully Boring

Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation

Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

Rectangular_businessman "Allegro non troppo" is a wonderful film.It is both a parody and an homage to Disney's masterpiece, "Fantasia", completely done right.The colorful and cartoonish animation style sharply contrast with the bitter irony displayed by some parts of this movie; however, it is also very enjoyable to watch, being funny and poignant (Particularly in segments like Ravel's "Boléro", where Evolution is seen from a satirical and surreal perspective) I particularly loved the Sibelius's "Valse triste" segment, which is not only incredibly well animated, but is also very sad to watch, featuring one of the most endearing and lovable characters from the history of cinema.Humor, drama and surrealism are perfectly combined on "Allegro non troppo" resulting in a must see film, with lots of imagination, craziness and beauty. I highly recommend it to anyone.9.5/10

Eumenides_0 A young filmmaker has an idea for a movie that he thinks is revolutionary: make an animated musical. As the movie is about to start, he receives a call from Hollywood to tell him someone called Prisney or Grisney has already done this. The enthused filmmaker doesn't let this affect his spirit.I think it's courteous of Bruno Bozzetto to so quickly acknowledge the debt this movie has to the original animated musical, Fantasia. Indeed Allegro Non Troppo is almost as good Disney's movie and in many ways more adult. It's not just that the situations are darker, sexier and more morally ambiguous.This movie is also a commentary on the creative process and so a lot of its jokes can be lost on a younger public. Unlike Fantasia, Bozzetto's movie has a lot of scenes with human characters interacting (these are shot in black-and-white, to contrast with the wonderful colors of the animated sequences). Here, the Maestro, the Presenter and the Animator discuss the creation of art in a hilarious way. For instance, the Animator has been chained to a wall for a long time, being only released to draw the animation. The orchestra, a group of decadent old ladies, has been kept in a cage and treated practically like cattle.This is a dark and satirical look into the procession of artistic creation and is what distinguishes Allegro Non Troppo from its ancestor.As for the sequences, they're all fascinating and the use of styles is remarkable. They use cartoons, interaction between humans and cartoons (like Who Framed Roger Rabit?), claymation and water colors. The choice of music is beautiful, including Sibelius' Valse Triste, Ravel's Bolero, plus Debussy, Stravinsky, Dvorak, and Vivaldi.Some sequences are surely meant to mirror sequences in Fantasia; others are witty observations about the stupidity of human life; others deal with timeless questions about Mankind. And some are just emotional pieces sure to bring anyone to tears.Like the Presenter boldly claims, Prisney never did anything like this. That doesn't mean it's better than Fantasia. I'd put it on the same level in terms of craft, intelligence, choice of music, and the ability to set animation to preexisting music. It can't be easy work and for that deserves to be better known so everyone can appreciate the hard work the filmmakers put into this.

John T. Ryan So, say you were an aspiring animator. So, say you see all of the existing animated works you can. You scour film archives and haunt all the art museums you can find to take in. All works from HUMOROUS PHASES of FUNNY FACES to HUCKLEBERRY HOUND, from Mr. Windsor McKay to Mr. Walt Disney and beyond.So, the day comes. You're in the Animation Business. You're enjoying success. Now, you want to do something really great! You want to create a unique, feature length tribute to your animation and to the Art Form itself. You want to do your own FANTASIA! But how to do such a work? How and why would anyone make such an attempt at recreating such a great milestone? Certainly no one in their right mind would attempt to re-make CITIZEN KANE or CASABLANCA! Well, if one can't attack the problem head on, what to do? If you can't make any headway by making a head on attack, is there an alternative? Well yes, of course there is. To borrow some terminology from Football (American Style), we can use an End Run! Yeah, that's right. When you can not move through a impenetrable wall, quite simply, you go around it! Hence to do a masterpiece, your own masterpiece, do not try to be imitative of any one particular work. Secondly, don't take your self or your project too seriously. Always remember that any work of Art, and that goes especially for film, should have a certain level of entertainment about it. It should not attempt to be highbrow. It's the quickest way to a dead end reaction from the public.So, when Italian Animator/Producer Bruno Bozzetto undertook his project, he kept these thoughts in mind. He did not attempt to 'out art' Disney. Indeed, up front, he pays homage to Walt and his Concert Feature in the opening live action sequence.The live action sequences,by the way, seem to draw quite a bit of criticism. It seems that these short,strictly b&w, filmed with live actors, kind of grow on you. Perhaps, this would be more likely to one who sees the film multiple times,as in 'having a VHS or DVD and not seeing it in a Movie House. They add a sort of counter balance to the musical/cartoon sequences.Another consideration for ALLEGRO should be that Bruno, unlike Walt had no live Orchestra with which to work. All of Bozzetto's music was taken from previously done recording sessions, from old records essentially. Whereas Disney on the other hand, had Mr. Leopold Stokowski conducting the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra in recording sessions made strictly for FANTASIA. This of course, is a feather in the Disney Artistic Cap, albeit an unintended one.What Bruno Bozzetto did accomplish, without any pretensions of"Art", was to give the world anther film that made use of abstractions of both sound and visuals, and blending the two into one single medium. He also did achieve a higher level of Art. Furthermore, he did so by taking what he had to work with and by making use of contrasting styles and moods. Hence, if one composition was lively and happy, the next piece would be perhaps slower and heavier. He really delivers in this respect, with one sequence featuring a Cat's point of view.In ALLEGRO NON TROPPO, Bruno Bozzetto attained heights not thought of by any animator in the Post Disney Era. By trying to make his film to appeal to a wide range of patrons, he rose to a level far above the rating of 'just another movie'.ALLRGRO NON TROPPO is recommended for any and every body. You can choose from Original Italian-English Sub-titled to a dubbed version. It sure makes a fine addition to any film collection, if for no other reason to show an example of great non-Disney animation.

Vastarien202 I was introduced to this obscure gem by my mom when I was 9 years old. I have not seen it since, but I have looked for it since then, and now found it on DVD from Netflix. Reading the reviews of some more recent viewers has brought back many memories. I never forgot the "Bolero" evolution, and the poor kitty DID make me cry so...I didn't understand everything, and our TV was too old and small to let us see the subtitles at all, so no wonder I couldn't get it all. My favorite part was the little man that outsmarted the evil dictator. That still makes me laugh, although it's been so long (17 years!) I eagerly await the little red envelope to bring back some memories and strange fun! Please give this one a chance..I'm proof that it will stay in your heart for a long time.