Lapitch the Little Shoemaker
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| Lapitch the Little Shoemaker | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Milan Blažeković |
| Produced by | CroatiaFilm, HaffaDiebold (companies) |
| Written by | Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić (novel: Čudnovate zgode šegrta Hlapića) Alan Shearman (English version) [1] |
| Distributed by |  Sony Wonder (2000) |
| Release date(s) |  1997 February 8, 2000 (VHS) |
| Running time | 75 min. |
| Country | Germany / Croatia |
| Language | Croatian |
| IMDb profile | |
Lapitch the Little Shoemaker is an animated film, originally released in Croatian theatres in 1997, and on video in 2000 by Sony Wonder in the United States. This is probably director Milan Blažeković's best-known film in the Western world.
The film, produced on traditional cel machines during the mid-1990s, was Croatia's official selection for the 1998 Academy Awards. A spinoff television series was also produced.
In North America, it the was first film to be released in Sony Wonder's "Movie Matinee" series.[1] Originally planned for October 12, 1999,[2] it was not available until February 8, 2000. The movie was also shown on Disney Channel early that same year.
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[edit] Plot
A mouse called Lapitch has had enough of his cruel master. He makes a mistake of something that wasn't his responsibility. Lapitch is banished from the master's home. He goes off to the world, meets a girl mouse called Lisa, also an orphan, and matches wits with the evil Dirty Rat. Dirty Rat and his Pazinskys, a bunch of clowns, try to kidnap Lapitch. Dirty Rat wears a black hat with a purple stripe. He has claws and wears a black coat with a red scarf. Lapitch seems to have a romance with Lisa. Brewster, Lapitch's pet dog, Peko, Lapitch's pet parrot and Lapitch and Lisa work together to save the town from disaster. Peko repeats everything someone will say, with the exception of Brewster, who can only bark. Dirty Rat's Pazinskys include Prun Hilda, Elmer and Oddess. Lapitch is a street urchin. So is Lisa. Lisa has a blue dress and Lapitch has a red shirt and green trousers with black shoes. After the gang defeat Dirty Rat, everyone in the town has a big party, with music and waltzing. Dirty Rat punishes his Pazinskys because they failed in capturing Lapitch. The film credits show up and the film ends. The film was previously from Croatia. It was dubbed and spread in England, and over the whole United Kingdom, and soon videos of the film became available worldwide.
[edit] Characters
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NOTE: Some characters only appear in the Lapitch TV series. They shouldn't be in this article, but it is worth to show them.
Lapitch: A big hearted mouse and the star of the show. He and his magic boots can run fast and even fly up in the air. They can lead him to places where anyone has gone. He has a brown cap, green trousers and a red shirt. Lapitch is adventurous, strong and courageous.
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Dirty Rat: The nemesis of Lapitch. He is very greedy and always tries to get his hands on things to steal, especially gold or money. He is always barefoot, as he can't steal a pair of shoes to fit his large feet. His other wish is to be rich. He has a band of clown goons called the Pazinskys.
The Pazinskys: These three clowns: Prun Hilda, Elmer and Oddess, were performers in a circus. Then a mistake happened and ever since they have been banned from every circus in the land. Dirty Rat found them and decided that they were fit to join his crime outfit. Elmer is the most intelligent one and Prun Hilda is their big sister. Odess is the big brother though he is very stupid. Dirty Rat punishes all the Pazinskys for their misbehaving. Prun Hilda is bossy.
Lisa: She is a cute little mouse with a blue dress. She and Lapitch are orphans. She wears yellow shoes.
Melchior: Also the Great Shoemaker or Mistro to Lapitch, is the greatest shoemaker ever. Appearance is the TV series. We don't know how old he is, but by the look of how he talks and his beard, he looks very old somehow. He is always making inventions, either to make shoes automatically or anything else besides.
Yanna: A wise old woman. Appearance is the TV series. She wears red shoes and a blue velvet smock. She is always trying to help and will sometimes pop in to give a book or anything else. Dirty Rat nicknames her a witch because of her magic potions and all sorts of chemicals and healing medicines. It is obvious she studies medical treatment because in the Lapitch TV series, her strict boss Esmeralda Rottwart, boss of the wise woman and wisest of the wise woman of the Wise Woman Academy, Yanna's school, shows up and steals Yanna's recipes and healing art books. Lapitch spies her re-writing one of Yanna's books and gets suspicious. Rottwart treats Yanna as a slave carrying groceries for her and bringing them back so she can test all her recipes. Yanna makes a real nurse.
Brewster: Lapitch's dog. He is very loyal to Lapitch. Brewster is named after Brewster Road in Leyton, Waltham Forest, London. He likes bones and hates it when Peko repeats everything and scares Peko away.
Peeko: He talks a lot and wears a blue cap. He repeats everything Lapitch or anyone else says.
The Mayor: The boss of the town. He wears a green hat and a green coat, and a gold topped cane.
Melvin: A very fat raccoon, who always eats. Dirty Rat usually uses him for his evil deeds without Melvin knowing he's doing something evil. He is Lapitch's friend. He seems to have a crush on Prun Hilda.
The Violinskys: Oddly have the same ending in their name as The Pazinskys. They are three good violinists and are Lapitch's good friend.
Esmeralda Rottwart: Appears in the TV series. She is Yanna's strict boss and wisest of the wise woman from the Wise Woman Academy. This shows the answer to why Yanna knows so much about medicines and healing arts. Esmeralda then admits the reason that she behaved so silly. She says that she was once the wisest woman and made a mistake of trying to create what would have been the greatest creation of her career of all time. The one thing she hasn't been able to create, is a tonic for eternal youth. She shows a back-story of what happened in her house that day. After years of experiments, she finally creates the tonic and gives it to a firk-fly, She says that most firk-flies have a life span of one day but at this rate, hers was a full year old. When she gave it to her pet fly, it was full of energy, and flew out of it's jar and was just the thing her cat had been waiting for. Her cat leaped and chases the fly. Esmeralda tried to stop but the disaster and chaos made a bottle fall into her cauldron. A loud bang is heard and her house blew up. She watched as her life's work blew up. She couldn't re-create her tonics, so that is the reason why she came to copy Yanna's. All the wise woman that have participated in a special contest Lapitch makes for a special test to show Esmeralda up and cure the Mayor's bellyache say that wise woman are happy to help and all agree to lend their books to Esmeralda. Soon everyone is happy. NOTE: This is the longest character article.
Percival Perinwinkle: The new pig in town. He calls himself Percival Periwinkle III at the beginning of the episode. He is very polite but is deceiving everybody. Nobody knows except Lapitch, because Percival is always being rude to him. Percival speaks with the voice of an aristocrat. He wears a blue hat, a blue waistcoat, a shirt and a bow tie, not to mention grey trousers and shiny black shoes. To keep him away from being caught, he makes friends with Lisa and calls her Princess Lisa. They sit together at a fountain but then says she has to help Lapitch and off she runs, to which Percival grows at the irritation Lapitch is causing.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Zad, Martie (2000, February 20). Tarzan, King of the Videos. The Washington Post. Accessed April 30, 2007.
- ^ 1999 to finish year with video offerings for the entire family (1999, June 28). Drug Store News. Retrieved April 30, 2007.
