Cipollino (pronounced [tʃipolˈliːno]), or Little Onion as translated from the original, is a fictional character from Gianni Rodari's eponymous Tale of Cipollino (Italian: Il romanzo di Cipollino) written in 1951. Also known under its 1957 renamed title Adventures of Cipollino (Italian: Le avventure di Cipollino), it is a children's tale about political oppression. He also appeared before the publication of the book in the children's magazine Il Pioniere of which Rodari was the editor. Cipollino was popular in the Soviet Union, up to the point of being adapted as a ballet composed by Karen Khachaturian and choreographed by Henrich Mayorov, originally staged in Taras Shevchenko National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Ukraine on November 8, 1974.
In a world inhabited by anthropomorphic produce, Cipollino fights the unjust treatment of his fellow vegetable townsfolk by the fruit royalty (Prince Lemon and the overly proud Lord Tomato) in the garden kingdom. The main theme is the struggle of the underclass against the powerful, good versus evil, and the importance of friendship in the face of difficulties.
Contents
Adaptations
Chipollinos tavgadasavali, a Georgian TV film
Cipollino, a 1961 Soyuzmultfilm film directed by Boris Dyozhkin, and then re-released in 1993 by Film Roman. The English version features characters played by Canadian voice actors.
Chipollino, a 1972 Soviet film directed by Tamara Lisitsian
Voices in the 1961 Soviet cartoon
Russian
Nina Gulyayeva as Cipollino
Sergey Martinson as Prince Lemon
Vladimir Lepko as Cipollone
Aleksey Polevoy as Godfather Pumpkin
Grigory Shpigel as Lord Tomato
Vera Orlova as Radish
Irina Pototskaya as Count Cherry
Yelena Ponsova as Countesses Cherries
Georgy Millyar as Mister Carrot
Georgy Vitsin as Cactus
Yuri Khrzhanovsky as Lemon soldiers, Uncle Grape, street gossipers, Professor Pear, Uncle Blueberry, Dog Pylesosik (lit. vacuum cleaner), prison warden
English
Kathleen Barr
Lynda Boyd
Paul Dobson
Doc Harris
David Kaye
Terry Klassen
Campbell Lane
Scott McNeil
Cathy Weseluck
Dale Wilson