Donkey Xote
Donkey Xote | |
---|---|
Directed by | José Pozo |
Written by | Angel E. Pariente |
Based on | Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes |
Produced by | Fabio Massimo Cacciatori Julio Fernández Sergio Toffetti Franco Bevione |
Starring | Andreu Buenafuente David Fernández Sonia Ferrer José Luis Gil |
Narrated by | Jordi González |
Edited by | Félix Bueno |
Music by | Andrea Guerra |
Production companies | Filmax Animation Lumiq Studios Acción Media Don Quijote De La Mancha 2005, S.A. Bren Entertainment, S.A. Castelao Productions, S.A TVE |
Distributed by | Filmax |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
Countries | Spain Italy |
Languages | Spanish English Italian |
Budget | €13 million |
Box office | €12 million |
Donkey Xote (known in some regions as Donkey X or Æslet) is a 2007 3D
Donkey Xote was presented at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2012, and theatrically released on 22 November 2007 by Lumiq Studios and Filmax International. It grossed €12 million ($18 million) on a €13 million ($19 million) budget.
Plot
The film begins with a narration of the story as told by Cervantes, but the narrator is interrupted by the donkey Rucio who insists on telling the "true" story of the adventure: Don Quixote was not crazy, but in fact an intelligent and passionate person. In Rucio's re-telling of his adventure with Don Quixote and his squire, Sancho Panza, we learn that Rucio wishes he were Quixote's horse, and that the horse, Rocinante, hates leaving his stable.
Quixote, Sancho, Rucio and Rocinante had gone on an adventure to search for Quixote's supposed true love
Upon learning that Rocinante has left with Quixote, Rocinante's bodyguard James Rooster begins following the four to protect Rocinante. When the four reach El Toboso, the supposed home town of Dulcinea, they discover that many other men have received the letters from the Knight of the Crescent Moon and are impersonating Quixote to win Dulcinea's affections. While fighting a duo of thugs, Quixote's armour starts to move on its own erratically, for the soul of the knight who once wore the armour is imprisoned within it, and it can only be freed if it takes part in an act of courage. Thinking he has found Dulcinea, Quixote tries to profess his love for her, unaware that he is actually talking to a cardboard cutout behind a curtain. Avellaneda then makes off with the cardboard cutout in his carriage, tricking Quixote and Sancho into thinking Dulcinea has been kidnapped. James eventually catches up with the four, but as they continue making their way to Barcelona, they find a duchess being attacked by a lion and come to her rescue. Grateful for their help, the duchess invites Quixote and Sancho to come to her castle where the duke, her husband, resides. Unbeknownst to Quixote and Sancho, the lion, whose name is Bartolo, is actually the pet of the duke and duchess and was only pretending to attack the latter so she could trick Quixote and Sancho into coming to the castle to distract them from their journey to Barcelona. The duke and duchess offer to have their soldiers find those who "kidnapped" Dulcinea so Quixote can be with her, and they also offer to make Sancho governor of an island like he always dreamed of.
When Quixote isn't around, the duchess reveals to Sancho she is well aware of the fact he lied about seeing Dulcinea on the duo's first adventure and uses this knowledge to blackmail Sancho into telling Quixote the impostor the soldiers will bring back is the real Dulcinea. The impostor turns out to be an ungracious woman named Altisidora, and after Sancho reluctantly convinces Quixote that the impostor is Dulcinea, he and Rucio depart with the soldiers for his island. Quixote starts to have second thoughts about his love for Dulcinea after witnessing how rude Altisidora is. Rocinante later spies on the duke, duchess and Altisidora and learns that Sinister Knight and Avellaneda are paying them to keep Quixote and Sancho from reaching Barcelona so Carrasco's plan succeeds. Avellaneda's pet civet discovers Rocinante spying on them, so she and the duchess's mare trap him and James in the stable and set it on fire to kill them. Fortunately, a redeemed Bartolo comes to their rescue. Sancho soon realizes the soldiers are only leading him and Rucio to the middle of nowhere, so they hurry back to the castle just in time to stop the duke and duchess from pressuring Quixote into marrying Altisidora. Sancho finally confesses he lied about seeing Dulcinea, and a dejected Quixote leaves the castle with Sancho, Rucio and Rocinante. Quixote and Sancho consider heading home, but Rucio and Rocinante remember about the duel in Barcelona and bring their riders there. When they finally reach Barcelona, they discover that a jousting tournament is being held to find out who the real Quixote is due to the fact that the Quixote impostors from El Toboso are competing in the tournament. The winner of the tournament will face the Knight of the Crescent Moon in the title match.
Because Rocinante is too exhausted from the journey to Barcelona, Quixote chooses Rucio to be his steed for the tournament. James and Bartolo follow the four to Barcelona, and when Bartolo wanders into the stadium, almost all of the Quixote impostors flee at the sight of him, resulting in the tournament advancing directly to the semi-finals. Quixote wins the tournament, but just as the title match is about to begin, Sinister Knight tries to stop Quixote from competing in the battle. Rucio kicks Sinister Knight, revealing him to be Carrasco in disguise. He had taken the identity of Sinister Knight in the hopes that such an identity would finally make him famous. The duel begins, and Quixote finds himself overpowered by the Knight of the Crescent Moon. Carrasco pushes Quixote in the hopes that his opponent will fatally injure him, but Quixote's armour jumps in front of him to protect him, freeing the soul of the knight who was trapped inside it just then two Red Demons Garp Him take the knight to The Underworld. After Sancho knocks Carrasco unconscious, Quixote and the knight continue their duel until Quixote surrenders and renounces Dulcinea so his opponent can have her, saying she deserves the best and bravest of knights. The knight realizes that only the real Quixote would renounce Dulcinea for the sake of her best interests, and after Quixote is declared the winner, the knight reveals "his" true identity as the real Dulcinea. She was searching for Quixote just as he was searching for her, but she needed to know if he did indeed exist, so she set up the entire tournament to find out if her true love was real or not. Quixote and Dulcinea profess their love for each other, and Rucio, Rocinante, James and Bartolo return home to La Mancha.
Voice cast
- José Luis Gil as Don Quixote de La Mancha
- Luis Posada as Rucio
- Andreu Buenafuente as Sancho Panza
- David Fernández as Rocinante
- Sonia Ferrer as Dulcinea from Tobosso
- Sancho Gracia as Sansón Carrasco
- Jordi Hurtado as Cronista Estadio de Justas
- Jordi González as El Narrador
- María Luisa Solá as Duquesa
- Félix Benito as Duque
Production
The project entered pre-production in late 2004,
Release
Film and DVD
The film premiered on November 22, 2007, in
Video game
One year after release of the film, a video game by the same name was commissioned of the company Revistronic Madrid with V.2 Play publishing it. The results were an adventure game for PC and PlayStation 2, one for PSP, and one for Nintendo DS which consisted of several mini-games tailored to the characteristics of the portable console.[18][19]
Reception
Critical response
Variety made note that the lead character of Rucio has an intentional resemblance to the character of Donkey from the Shrek series, with its original theatrical poster proclaiming "From the producers who saw Shrek". They noted that, while the physical resemblance was imported "almost wholesale",[20] the character lacked the same wit as its inspiration. They wrote that the film was "a lively but clumsy comic retelling of the Cervantes classic" with a "humdrum" script.[20] Ahora noted the same resemblance, writing that it was a blatant imitation done in order to take advantage of the existing commercial fanbase established by DreamWorks for the Shrek films.[21] NonSoloCinema wrote that while the animation is well-made, the figures resemble characters from Pixar's early days and has obvious similarities to some of the stars of Shrek by DreamWorks.[4] DVD Verdict offered that in order to market the film to a pre-teen audience, Rucio looks "suspiciously" like Donkey from the Shrek movies.[22] Film Up wrote "The film (which in turn has inspired a video game of the same name), has the merit, in part, to be able to convince us and involve us, but sometimes, creativity and commitment, may not be enough, because the quality is more important, even if not always for everyone."[23]
In making comparisons to other representations of the original novel, Rapadura wrote that the plot was encrusted with facts and comical characters, but was simpler. They offered that, while the opening sequences had a great pace and hinted at expectations of good insights of the script, it gave a misimpression of what followed. They wrote that the film had a "falta de graça" (lack of humor) in that it is a satire by "produtores que assistiram a Shrek" (producers who saw Shrek).
Awards and nominations
- 2008, Gaudí Awards nomination for Best Animated Feature (Millor Pel·lícula d'Animació)[27]
- 2009, Goya Awards nomination for Best Animation Film (Mejor Película de Animación)[28][29]
Soundtrack
- "Dónde Están Mis Sueños", by Jordi Cubino, Performed by Marta Sánchez
- "A New Day Has Come", by Stephan Moccio and Aldo Nova, Performed by Elisabeth Gray
- "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", by Eddie Schwartz, Performed by Tessa
- "
- "True Colours", by Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg, Performed by Elisabeth Gray
- "I Fought the Law", by Sonny Curtis, Performed by Alex Warner
- "Games People Play", by Joe South, Performed by Alex Warner
See also
References
- ^ "Donkey Xote, l'asinello ha un cuore torinese", La Stampa, 30 Ott 2008, http://www.lastampa.it/_web/cmstp/tmplrubriche/cinematv/grubrica.asp?ID_blog=33&ID_articolo=985&ID_sezione=260&sezione=News[permanent dead link]
- ^ Panzner, Christopher (November 30, 2004). "Soft Money, Cold Cash: Money Shopping for Animated Feature Films". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
- ^ Baisley, Sarah (June 9, 2005). "New Faces, Places at MIFA 2005". Animation World Network. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
- ^ a b Guglielmino, Ada (November 2, 2008). ""DONKEY XOTE" di JOSÈ POZO, Don Chisciotte in salsa cartoon" (in Italian). Non Solo Cinema. Retrieved April 18, 2012.Google translated
- ^ Baisley, Sarah (February 25, 2005). "CARTOON MOVIE Tribute Noms Announced". Animation World Network. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
- ^ Desowitz, Bill (May 24, 2007). "SIGGRAPH 2007 Computer Animation Festival Sets Record". Animation World Network. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
- ^ Swain, Bob (June 19, 2007). "Cartoon Movie: Supporting the Industry in the EU". Animation World Network. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
- ^ staff (November 20, 2007). "Comedia de animación "Donkey Xote" se preestrena en Toledo (VIDEO)". IBLNews (in Spanish). Archived from the original on February 26, 2014. Retrieved April 18, 2012.Google translated
- ^ n Diamond and Ron Diamond (April 2, 2008). "Cartoon Movie Turns 10". Animation World Network. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
- ^ Pop Matters. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
- ^ "Aasi ja puolikuun ritari" (in Finnish). Iltalehti. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
- ^ "Don Chichot" (in Polish). Film Web. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
- ^ a b c "Donkey Xote (2007); Măgăruşul buclucaş" (in Romanian). Cinemainfo. Retrieved April 18, 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Don Kişot" (in Turkish). Idefix. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
- ^ "Don Quijote szamarancsa" (in Hungarian). Kritikustomeg. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
- ^ Algol. "Les folles aventures de Rucio". March 2, 2009 (in French). DVD Anime. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
- ^ "A Donkey's Tale". Amazon UK. 19 May 2014.
- El Pais (in Spanish). Retrieved April 18, 2012.Google translated
- ^ Mayorga, Emilio (November 8, 2006). "Filmax burros into vidgame format: Spanish prodco inks distrib pact for 'Xote' vidgame". Variety. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
- ^ a b Holland, Jonathan (December 22, 2007). "Donkey Xote". Variety. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
- ^ Molina, Julio Martinez (December 27, 2011). "Donkey Xote: estreno en Cuba". Ahora (in Spanish). Archived from the original on February 10, 2013. Retrieved April 18, 2012.Google translated
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Mancini, Dan (August 19, 2009). "review: Donkey X (Blu-Ray)". DVD Verdict. Archived from the original on August 22, 2009. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
- ^ Giordano, Andrea. "Donkey Xote" (in Italian). Film Up. Archived from the original on December 11, 2014. Retrieved April 18, 2012.Google translated
- ^ a b Didimo, Darlano (May 31, 2009). "Donkey Xote". Rapadura (in Portuguese). Retrieved April 18, 2012.Google translated
- Cine Pop (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on November 20, 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2012.Google translated
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Cornelius, David (August 11, 2008). "review: Donkey X". DVD Talk. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
- ^ "Gaudí Awards" (in Spanish). Cineteka. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
- ^ “NOMINACIONS Premis Gaudí 2009”[permanent dead link] Premis Gaudí de l'Academia del Cinema Catalana retrieved March 30, 2012
- Big Cartoon Database. Archived from the originalon July 20, 2012. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
External links
- Official website
- Donkey Xote at the Internet Movie Database