La Linea

Regarding a previous post on Italian Cartoons, here's one that everyone is sure to have seen at some point - whether as a filler in-between shows or part of the Great Space Coaster...

Osvaldo Cavandoli's La Linea is a perfect demonstration of what one can do in an animated world. Drawing cartoons since 1943, till his death in 2007, "Cava" became famous when he created La Linea (alias "The Line", alias "Mr. Line"), which was originally part of a advertising campaign for Lagostina, a popular brand of cookware. After just six/eight adverts, the character became popular enough to be given a series of his own - lasting just over 300 episodes!

Everything about this series just works, especially for International Broadcasting - each short lasts between 2 - 5 minutes, perfect for a quick laugh. The art style original, literally made of a simple white line, easy to identify and animate. And the "voices" are provided by Italian Clown Carlo Bonomi (famed for also voicing Stripy and Pingu, both Italian-related to boot!), which is really just a mock version of Milanese, but to many it's just gibberish.

And just another example of how much the old masters of the Golden Age Era have inspired other artists. The entire premise of La Linea is influenced by Chuck Jones's Duck Amuck, where "Mr. Line" is at the constant mercy of the artist and his pencil. The real beauty comes from his reactions and Carlo's hilarious improvised deliveries :D

Artist and Creation interact

There are literally hundreds and hundreds of the original shorts scattered across online to watch, but if one is lucky enough, they're bound to either nab the entire DVD box set (available only in Germany) or the rarer CD featuring the Soundtrack of the series by Franco Godi and Corrado Tringali respectively.

Below are a few personal favourites I'd like to share, including one of the very first Lagostina adverts featuring La Line. Be warned: once you've seen a couple, you may be tempted to watch more...!

LA LINEA PLAYLIST