Parallel to the world premiere in competition at the Young Audiences Short Film Strand in Annecy, the team behind the tender Argentine short title, “La Calesita,” will offer a little magic to those attending the shows: dedicated tickets to ride on the city’s ornate family-owned carousel.
Written and directed by Annie Award-nominated filmmaker Augusto Schillaci, and produced by Reel FX Animation co-producer Oliver Benavides, the short film tells a warm story about a proud and assertive carousel who finds great pleasure in preserving family traditions by running neighborhood fun. -Go around.
At La Calicita, his gentle and attentive nature is on display as he joyfully rides through the lively and colorful streetscape of Buenos Aires on his way to work, caring deeply for the families who visit every day. He plays the role of matchmaker, confidant, and watchful eye with dignity.
People often overlook how important these contributions are to shaping communities and their neighborhoods. Generations of the same families go through these fun rides,” Chilaci reflects. “In Argentina, Sunday afternoons are one of the most popular times for families to go to Calicita, and while their children play on it, parents socialize and get to know each other, Which brings the neighborhood and the community closer.”
The film depicts our hero’s journey without dialogue, tracing his progress and struggle through dynamic facial expressions and the colors used in each scene. Color shades range from bright purple jacaranda trees and picturesque pink city sunsets to gray concrete structures and dark city streets. Binary division is an amazing example of how to revitalize the psyche.
I wanted to tell a story without dialogue so that it could be understood anywhere in the world. Because of this, the main character needed to express her feelings only with the face and body. This made the animation very complex,” Schillaci stated.
In a 10-minute walk, the enhanced title provides a sense that society is greater than the sum of its parts, as we see the characters the protagonist has befriended over the years come to his aid to help him realize his dream. A heartwarming tale that allows the main character to age, still his heart is full of hope and promise.
“I believe these are very important values and that society, above the individual, will propel humanity forward toward a better world,” Chilachi hopes.
He continued, “Animations often focus on big fantasy adventures with fictional characters, and while it’s a lot of fun, I wanted to show a more cohesive story with a character that you can see every day on the street. It was very important for me to tell the story of an elderly person.” We need more stories and cartoon characters like that.”
To go along with a core theme of solidarity, the team collaborated with Annecy to design custom tickets for each show that will also provide a free ride on the famous Annecy manège carousel in its Le Pâquier park. Showing appreciation to local residents and a way to give back to the community, Reel FX (“Book of Life”), along with Annecy and the owners of the carousel, donated 500 tickets to charities working with displaced families, many of them from Ukraine.
When Augusto began writing La Calesita, we immediately thought of the historic 1906 Manège Dufaux carousel, which is not only an iconic animation festival landmark, but also a centerpiece in Annecy for children and families. The festival is not just about the animation community, Rather, the organizers are doing their best to include the Annecy community in a variety of ways including outdoor night shows that happen to be right next door to Manège,” said Chuck Bell, Executive Vice President of Strategy, Partnerships for Reel FX.
As “La Calesita” envisioned, the smallest of gestures can leave lasting impressions, and the team believes their film and a serious dose of admiration will bring the title’s core message to Annecy in real time.
“One of La Calesita’s themes is the importance and value of a strong community and the simple, yet powerful idea, of genuine concern for others. The world has just gone through a heartbreaking pandemic with so much loss and isolation. Even in those dark moments, hope returns through simple gestures of love and support, Individually and as a community,” Bell said.
He concluded: “As we watched, as hundreds of children, teenagers and families began filling the huge Le Paquier park for nightly shows, we couldn’t help but be moved by the idea that what brings everyone together for a few hours as one community is a moving story played against the beautiful historical backdrop of Annecy Mange.”
La Calicita
Credit: Reel FX
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