The story of a puppet who does not become a child.
In a carpenter’s shop, a puppet comes to life and begins to explore the surrounding world. Before long, however, he encounters a society that glorifies conformity, where the ominous presence of a whale rules. Perhaps the puppet prefers to remain made of wood…
Every culture has characters symbolic of disobedience, yet few are as iconic as Pinocchio. Among the many versions of Pinocchio on screen, Roberto Catani’s stands out for its unyielding sense of rebellion. For the second time since La testa tra le nuvole, the Jesi-born director sets aside his proven emotional sensitivity to deliver an original critique of authority—this time directed at the established social order—through drawings notable for their material, alienating quality. Presented at the 81st Venice Film Festival, Il burattino e la balena reaffirms Catani’s thematic and stylistic versatility, leaving us eager to see where his creativity will lead next.
Director’s biography – ROBERTO CATANI
Roberto Catani is a multi-award-winning creator of animated short films, who trained at one of Italy’s most vibrant creative hubs, the Scuola del Libro in Urbino. As a teenager attending his first animation festivals, he was deeply moved by the poetic styles of artists such as Jurij Norstein and Emanuele Luzzati, and immediately decided that animation would become his realm. He is not a prolific filmmaker, as he makes his films in the spare time between teaching and illustration work. Patient, resilient, and solitary, he allows themes and emotions to settle over a long period before bringing them to life in drawn animation. These themes and feelings mature with time, largely stemming from personal memories—childhood recollections eager to be revisited and relived through animation—where sweetness mingles with a sharp, lingering melancholy permeating each of his films.
Director’s Comment
The film is composed of drawings on white paper, made using the traditional technique of hand-drawn animation. Each drawing is created with Oilbar, chalk, pastel, and drypoint. Fundamentally different from pastels or pencils, Oilbars are oil sticks designed for painting and drawing directly on paper.
