La freccia azzurra facts for kids

Quick facts for kids La freccia azzurra
Original title card
Directed by	Enzo D'Alò
Produced by	Maria Fares
Written by	Enzo D'Alò Umberto Marino
Music by	Paolo Conte
Studio	Alpha-Film Lanterna Magica Monipoly Productions
Release date(s)	5 December 1996 (1996-12-05) (Italy)21 October 1997 (1997-10-21) (U.S.) (home video release)
Running time	78 minutes
Country	Italy
Language	Italian

La freccia azzurra (which means The Blue Arrow in English) is a fun Italian animated movie from 1996. In the United States, it's known as How the Toys Saved Christmas. The film was directed by Enzo D'Alò. It's based on a story by the famous writer Gianni Rodari. This movie tells a magical tale about toys that come to life!

In Italy, the story takes place on Epiphany Eve. This is the night before January 6th. In Italian folklore, a good witch named the Befana brings presents and candies to children. She delivers gifts during the night between January 5th and 6th.

Story of the Blue Arrow

On Epiphany Eve, the kind Befana gets sick. She needs to take a night off from delivering toys. So, she asks a man named Scarafoni to help. He is supposed to deliver all the toys to the children in Italy.

But Scarafoni has a secret, bad plan! He wants to sell the toys to the highest bidder. This means the toys won't go to the children who deserve them. The toys find out about his plan. They decide to deliver themselves! The movie follows their exciting journey. They try to avoid the mean Scarafoni and find their real homes.

Meanwhile, a young boy named Francesco has a special wish. He wants the Freccia Azzurra (Blue Arrow) train model. This is the train his dad used to work on before he passed away. While Scarafoni is busy chasing the runaway toys, two burglars, Lesto and Scarpa, kidnap Francesco. They force him to sneak into the Befana's shop. They want him to steal all the money.

Instead, Francesco uses the phone in the shop to call the police. The police arrive and arrest the burglars. The Befana realizes Francesco was not involved in the robbery. She is very thankful to him.

Among all the toys, a soft plush dog named Spicciola has a special wish. Spicciola wants to be given to Francesco. During the evening, Spicciola gets separated from the other toys after a fight with Scarafoni. That night, something magical happens: Spicciola turns into a real dog! The next morning, Spicciola finds Francesco. The two become instant best friends.

In the end, all the toys manage to find their way to the children's homes. But Scarafoni still has the money he stole. Everyone rushes to the toy shop. They find Scarafoni with the money. They manage to get it back from him. The police arrest Scarafoni and send him to prison. The Befana then discovers that Scarafoni made her sick. He gave her a light poison instead of medicine! After all this, the Befana hires Francesco as her new helper. Spicciola, the dog, joins them too!

U.S. Version Changes

In 1997, this film came to the U.S. It was released on home video by Buena Vista Home Video. The title was changed to "How the Toys Saved Christmas."

The U.S. version had some famous voices. Mary Tyler Moore voiced the Befana, who was called "Granny Rose." She was described as Santa Claus' helper. Tony Randall voiced Scarafoni, who was named "Mr. Grimm." Michael Caloz voiced Francesco, who was called "Christopher Winter." Sonja Ball voiced Spicciola the dog, renamed Jingles.

Instead of being set on Epiphany Eve, the U.S. film is set on Christmas Eve. The main story is still very similar to the Italian version. However, there are a few small changes. For example, Christopher Winter (Francesco) doesn't want the Blue Arrow train for himself. He writes to Santa for his friend Charlie, who is also an orphan. Charlie is the one who gets the train as a gift. Christopher asks for "one special friend" for himself. So, when he adopts Jingles (Spicciola), his wish comes true!

The U.S. version also changed some scenes. Some parts from the original Italian movie were deleted. Other scenes were moved around. Some of the original music was taken out, and new music was added.

Voice Cast