The Adventures of Enrico

The Adventures of Enrico (Italian: L'avventura di Enrico, Japanese: エンリコ, Enriko) is a 1986 animated adventure comedy film directed by Moshi Kawara from a screenplay by Rocco Denazetti. The film tells the story of 13-year old Enrico who, along with his dog Renata, decide to go out on an adventure across Italy while his wealthy parents are out on holiday, along the way he comes across unusual characters all while learning valueable life lessons.

A co-production between Italy and Japan, the film was animated by Group TAC in association with Cecci Gori Group and Compagnia Distribuzione Internazionale, the Italian arm of Orion Pictures, whom would also handle the U.S. distribution. The film recieved critical acclaim, with praise towards it's animation, humble storytelling and childlike wonder, though some criticized it's simplistic nature.

A sequel, Summer, Amore! was released in 1998, and a third and final film, A Life Worth Living, released in 2017.

Plot
TBA

Cast

 * Alberto Denazetti as Enrico
 * Roberto Benigni as Enrico's father and Ricardo the clown
 * Olimpa Carslils as Enrico's mother and the gypsy

Development
Rocco Denazetti had come up with the story during production of One Magic Night (1985). Inspired by the stories his son Alberto would make up to entertain himself, he wrote a story treatment in about a week. Although a director in live action films, Denazetti believed the story would work best as an animated film in order to truly capture the look and feel of a child's drawing, Mario and Vittorio Cecchi Gori agreed to finance the project. He originally pitched it to Studio Ghibli, who animated a fantasy scene in One Magic Night, however due to working on Castle in the Sky, the company passed on the film but reccomended pitching it to other animation studios in Japan. He eventually settled on Group TAC, an animation studio primarily known for television animation like Tomeki Tonight and Igano Kabamaru.

Originally interested in directing in addition to writing, Denazetti, with his inexperience in animation, decided it was too much for him to handle alone, leading him to hire someone else for the job. Eventually he hired Moshi Kawara, a director known for making dark and violent work, who by then had prematurely ended a deal with Toei Animation due to creative differences. Kawara at the time was burnt out of ideas and was hungry for offers, Denazetti, who had not seen his prior work, admitted he hired him because he was on a freelancers list. Many in the industry were confused when Kawara was announced as director as the film marked a significant departure from his more violent films, Kawara, who had just become a father, stated in response that he wanted to take a break from all the violence and destruction and make something his daughter would enjoy, "I wanted to make a film that shows the beauty of life and teach valuable lessons for kids".

Home Media

 * 1988 Orion Home Video VHS/Betamax
 * 1988 Image Entertainment Laserdisc (under license from Orion)
 * 1998 Image Entertainment DVD (under license from Orion)
 * 2000 MGM World Films VHS/DVD
 * 2006 Sony Pictures Home Entertainment/MGM DVD (double feature with Summer, Amore!)
 * 2014 Twilight Time Blu-ray (under license from MGM/Fox)
 * 2023 Kino Lorber Blu-ray (under license from MGM)