"CHILDREN'S CONTENT SHOULD PROMOTE OPENMINDEDNESS, RESPECT, AND SOLIDARITY"

 Francesco Manfio

Gruppo Alcuni attends MIFA 2023 with new series and projects in its pipeline. Francesco Manfio, co-founder and CEO of Gruppo Alcuni, spoke with Señal News and described the production process of each of them.

Gruppo Alcuni will be at MIFA 2023. What do you expect from this key market?

"We're delighted to be back in Annecy. We're sure this will be a great opportunity to present our newest productions and original projects in development. First, we are developing a series: 'The Black Diamond Race,' which is definitely a show for older kids. Each episode revolves around the extraordinary adventures of a group of teens from different backgrounds who are forced to rally a race against the sinister Mr. K. Seemingly. The prize should be four famous and precious diamonds, but much more is at stake. The series takes place in Europe and India in 1929, and, as a full CGI venture, it's incredibly challenging from a creative and production perspective. Creatively speaking, it's a series that involves relentless, exhilarating plot twists. From a production point of view, it means accurately reconstructing the characters, locations, and cars (strictly inspired by the actual 1929 ones) of that time."

What are the most recent updates about the "Mini Pet Pals" brand?

"After four seasons in our 'Mini Pet Pals' brand, with a total of 208 episodes, we decided, together with co-producer Rai Kids, to set the adventures of our adorable little animals in a whole new environment, where they face new and exciting challenges. So we came up with 'Mini Pet Pals and Mini Dinos.' Beyond the idea of having our 'Mini Pet Pals' enter a mysterious cave that takes them to the hidden world of the Mini Dinos, the series is about the meeting of two worlds that, at first glance, seem to have very little in common. In fact, they are complete opposites. The different lifestyles, habits, games, and ways of thinking surprise 'Mini Pet Pals' and 'Mini Dinos.' Fighting the urge to convince others that their idea is better, they all learn the true value of diversity. Gruppo Alcuni feels that animation, specifically children's content, should promote values like openmindedness, respect, and solidarity, which are crucial for living together peacefully."

Do you have any new partnerships going on?

"Another new series we will present at MIFA is 'Gateway 66,' co-produced with RAI Kids, the MUSE Museum (science museum in Trento), the Renzo Piano Foundation, and the Trentino Film Commission. The series talks about science to youngsters in a fun and innovative way. The two main characters (Anna and Gabriele) go on an amazing journey through a space-time portal, searching for a scientist apparently lost in another dimension. This series is also particularly challenging to produce since it mixes live-action with 2D animation. There is much interest in this new production, and we are very excited to show our potential clients a lot more material during this market."

What is the most recent news about the new "Leo da Vinci" series?

"'Leo da Vinci 2' consists, like the previous season, of 52 episodes of 13 minutes and is co-produced with Rai Kids, HR, ARD, and Cosmos Maya. The phenomenal boy-genius returns with his buddies, and they embark on a risky mission to recover a legendary ruby disclosed by Marco Polo in his travels. We are confident that 'Leo da Vinci 2' will confirm the excellent ratings of the first season, which has been distributed worldwide."

By Romina Rodríguez