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Wow, What an Island! Meet the winner of the contest 'OVS Children Save the World’
Children - alone, in a group or with their own class - participated in the initiative ‘OVS Children Save the World’ promoted by OVS in cooperation with the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, Venice (Italy), and Gruppo Alcuni. The competition is closed and the winning storyboard will now become part of the end credits of "Pet Pals in Windland", the new animation movie produced by Gruppo Alcuni, to be released in the Italian movie theatres on 27 March 2014.
The choice was most difficult as the storyboards received were so many and all quite talented. In the end, the first prize was awarded to the students of the Institute "N. Bobbio "Rivalta Bormida, 1st grade secondary school "G. Verdi", Cassine (Alessandria). The students will experience the thrill of seeing on the big screen their cartoon "Wow, What an Island!" inserted in the credits of the new movie "Pet Pals in Windland".
The short cartoon "Wow, What An Island!" tells the story of Cylinder who lives on the beautiful Wow Island, while his friend Nameless lives on a polluted island named Bleeh. On one island the children play happily in the countryside, on the other they are surrounded by lots of garbage. When Nameless visits Wow Island, Cylinder explains the secret of recycling paper, glass and plastic. Back on the Bleeh Island, Nameless also builds machines for recycling and by means of signboards instructs children on the new policy. The result? Another happy and clean island.
The second and third prize were awarded to and "The Pet Pals and the Toxic Cloud", created by the brothers Giuseppe and Giacomo B. from Treviso and "Go with the Wind", produced by the students of the Institute Motta San Giovanni (Reggio Calabria).
With "The Pet Pals and the Toxic Cloud", we visit a garbage dump, home of Camillo lives, a dragon whose poisonous flatulence makes children sick. The children call the Pet Pals for rescue. The Pet Pals ask the dragon to eat better and teach children how to divide the waste for efficient recycling. In such way, Camillo will eat only the wet part and kids will be able to go back and play outdoors.
"Go with the Wind" explains how, thanks to the wind energy, we should not worry too much about the end of the “black gold”. The title of this storyboard is also ironically alluding, with its play on words, at the title of the American epic historical romance film “Gone with the Wind”.
Before coming to seeing the storyboard "transformed" on the big screen by Gruppo Alcuni, one student from the winning class will spend a day in Rome at the Italia Film Studios and follow some phases of the dubbing of the movie "Pet Pals in Windland" the much-awaited sequel which sees the Pet Pals, the inseparable friends, back in a new exciting adventure against their arch nemesis Crow Witch. The Pet Pals live in Puff, better known as Windland a small town where everything, absolutely everything, works thanks to the power of the wind. Crow Witch is determined to get hold of the “Spinwheel” which generates the wind and, in doing so, to take control of the town. Will Crow Witch’s diabolical machines be enough to defeat the Pet Pals?
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The family animation film "Pet Pals in Windland", presented at the 70th Venice International Film Festival was the leitmotiv of the initiative ‘OVS Children Save the World’. It was an invitation for children to draw a storyboard for a short cartoon starring the Pet Pals on issues related to environmental sustainability. It was a unique opportunity for them as the 3 most interesting ideas were selected to become real shorts to be broadcasted all over the world, and the most significant short is shown in the “Pet Pals in Windland" film credits. The UNESCO Venice Office is looking forward to the film preview in Rome on 24 March.
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