With “350 works in competition from 44 countries including Ukraine with two works and Russia with 44” from 1 to 4 June in Pescara, ‘Cartoons on The Bay’, the festival of cross-media animation and Children’s TV promoted by Rai and organized by Rai Com. Thus the artistic director Roberto Genovesi presents the twenty-sixth edition of the review that after two years online returns ‘on the Bay’. The bay this year and for the 2023 and 2024 editions will be that of Pescara thanks to a “three-year agreement with the Abruzzo Region” for an “important event for the whole territory”, underlined the president of Rai Com, Teresa De Santis. And so, starting from Wednesday 1 June, Pescara for five days becomes the capital of animation.
Pescara, after all, is the city that gave birth to Gabriele D’Annunzio who gave his name to the Aurum, the former liquor factory, “now a very vital cultural center”, says the mayor Carlo Masci, recalling that the Vate “if he lived today, in addition to being a great man of letters, he would also be the most important ‘influencer’ in the world. But Pescara – the mayor continues – is the city where Ennio Flaiano was born and where Andrea Pazienza took his first steps. In fact, a museum of comics dedicated to him is being born “. The president of the Abruzzo Region, Marco Marsilio, defined it a “challenge to host this event so important at an international level, first in Pescara and soon in L’Aquila where there will be a spin-off. We have invested to open our wonderful territory and make it known to everyone and I think Rai will be able to tell not only the event itself, but also the beauty of Abruzzo “.
‘Cartoons on the Bay’ also received for this edition the Medal of Honor of the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, for “the high value of the initiative, something that fills us with pride”, said De Santis, explaining also that the review has abandoned the definition ‘cross-media’ for “the most modern ‘trans-media’. It is in fact essential that the new products are made to go on more devices”. Different types of content, from interviews with the protagonists of the world of animation to transmedia languages in addition to the works selected for international competitions. The official start of the event is June 1 at 4 pm, at the Aurum in Pescara, with the Undersecretary of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Publishing, Giuseppe Moles, who will inaugurate the exhibitions: Carlos Grangel Exhibit “Sketchbooks” and Arcane Digital Exhibit “Between Piltover and Zaun”. Absolute gem will be at the world premiere screening-event of ‘Jurassic World – The domain’. “It is the greatest satisfaction to know that this highly anticipated film will be seen first in Pescara than in Hollywwod,” said Marsilio. The other preview of ‘Cartoons’ is June 4 at 6pm with the Japanese fantasy ‘The Deer King’, which marks the directorial debut of Masashi Ando, former animation director for Studio Ghibli.
The protagonists of Cartoons on the Bay are, as always, the children, to whom the Festival dedicates a Kids area. “There are three fundamental reasons why ‘Cartoons’ is important for Rai: it brings the best content from series and cartoons to children and families; it supports the national audiovisual industry, a fundamental task of the public service; it promotes innovation” explains Luca Milano, director of Rai Ragazzi, who changes his name to ‘Rai Kids’ and will present the new logo at Cartoons. At the Rai Ragazzi Festival it brings seven titles in competition for the Pulcinella Awards: four animated series and two in live-action, destined respectively for the Rai Yoyo and Rai Gulp channels but also for RaiPlay. These are ‘Mumfie’, ‘Food Wizards’, ‘Superspikeball’, ‘Street football 4’, ‘Next Level’ and ‘Snow Black’. The animated film ‘The Custody’, directed by Maurizio Forestieri, is instead nominated for the Unicef Award ‘Special Award for the best social product’.
Among the most anticipated shows of the Festival, the ‘iDol’ concert with Emanuela Pacotto, voice of the protagonists of the most important animated series broadcast in Italy, from ‘Barbie’ to Jessie in ‘Pokemon’ and Nami in ‘One Piece’ just to name a few. . Giorgio Vanni will also be present, the male voice of the theme songs of some very popular cartoons such as ‘Dragon Ball’, ‘Detective Conan’, ‘One Piece’ and ‘Pokémon’. In the professional program of the event there will be meetings with characters from the world of animation and beyond: from the cartoonist Zerocalcare to the president of Unicef Italia Andrea Iacomini, from the general manager of Sergio Bonelli Editore Davide Bonelli to Christian De Vita, director of Disney series and of ‘ PJ Masks – Super Pajamas’. The large town square, Piazza Salotto, will be the main stage for other events such as the ‘Rainbow Kids Show’, dedicated to the Rainbow characters (’44 cats’, ‘Pinocchio and friends’,’ Summer & Todd ‘and’ My Passport Friends’ conducted by Laura Carusino.
To tell young people how video games and comics are made, lessons are scheduled in collaboration with the International School of Comics and the Games Academy of Pescara. Cartoons is also sport, with the S3 volleyball courts for free play set up in the square. And again, conferences, workshops and games for children and families. The squares of the city become an open-air living room for cosplayer shows and competitions. The Pulcinella Awards competition, with its extensive professional program dedicated to signatures from the universe of animation from all corners of the world and events designed for audiences of all ages, will end with the awarding of the prizes scheduled for Saturday afternoon. June 4th. A very rich edition which, observes the artistic director Genovesi, “comes just six months after the last online of last December and has collected 350 works. If a year had passed we would have reached over 700!”.
