25/11/2003 - The new animation film by Enzo D'Alò will be released on December 5. Opopomoz is a fairytale of magic and emotion, set in Naples and Bethlehem, moving between the crib and the holy family

"You have to have a light-hearted spirit in an animation film, but to achieve a totally rounded effect, you also have to introduce some deeper and more important elements". Furio Scarpelli talking about the new film by Enzo D'Alò, Opopomoz. Scarpelli wrote the film together with his son, Giacomo, in collaboration with the director. D'Alò described his fourth animated feature film as being "very complex and tiring work. And above all, it is subtle, because it tackles complex issues, like a young boy’s jealousy towards his baby brother who’s about to be born, or how the imagination interacts with reality, something that is best represented by the nativity scene of the crib".

This story by the Neapolitan director develops on many levels, from fairy story to nativity cribs, to the unhappiness of little Rocco. To shoot it, D'Alò went back to his beloved Naples and he portrays the city by mixing his childhood memories with more recent images of city life. "The nativity crib is a metaphor for what happens in Rocco’s house, and at the same time it is also the story of the birth of baby Jesus, when worlds merged through osmosis. Which is also true of Naples, a city where there isn’t a real boundary between the things that are below and those that are above, between the mortal and the immortal, the visible and the invisible".
It’s in this city imbued with the Christmas spirit par excellence that Rocco has to face up to his jealousy and feelings of envy towards his new baby brother. He thinks he can resolve the problem by following the suggestions of three little devils summoned specially from the depths, three 007s with a 'licence to temptation' who are trying to complete their mission: to stop the birth of the Child once and for all. By saying the magic word Opopomoz, Rocco finds himself catapulted into the nativity scene, with the task of stopping Joseph and Mary, and finding some way to interrupt the holy birth. But this journey filled with Kings, Queens, angels and shepherds leads him to discover a new and unexpected happiness.

D'Alò’s film is split between Naples and Bethlehem and this Christmas tale in a modern key, has something for children and adults alike. It’s the portrayal of a world where “Good” and “Evil” don’t exist, where these concepts are diluted by the everyday adventures of life and the search for happiness.
Opopomoz is produced by Mikado, in collaboration with Albachiara, RAI Cinema and the Spanish company DeA Planeta. It will be released in Italian cinemas on December 5 in 120 prints, without any fear of the competition from Disney’s Finding Nemo, which is due to be released during the same period. "I’m certain that you have to give the public a chance to choose. But the thing I think is more important is that there is finally a valid alternative to the American monopoly in animation, that dominated the scene a few years ago" concluded the director, "Let’s say that now European authors have a more coherent approach to the images, sensations and considerations that make up our lifestyle, and they have finally broken free from the homogenisation of the American role model".

(Translated from Italian)