Romano Scarpa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Romano Scarpa |
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Romano Scarpa at an Exposition in Rome in 2000.
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| Born | 27 September 1927 Venice, Italy |
| Died | 23 April 2005 (aged 77) Málaga, Spain |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Area(s) | Artist, Writer |
Romano Scarpa (born September 27, 1927 – died April 23, 2005) was a very famous Italian artist and writer. He is best known for creating many amazing Disney comics stories. He drew and wrote adventures for beloved characters like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck.
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Romano Scarpa's Early Life and Animation Work
Romano Scarpa grew up in Venice, Italy. He loved American cartoons and Disney comics from a young age. Back then, Disney comics were printed in a large newspaper called Topolino giornale. This newspaper featured classic stories by another famous artist, Floyd Gottfredson.
In the 1940s, Scarpa opened his own animation studio in Venice. There, he made his first animated works. These included commercials and two short films. One film was called E poi venne il diluvio. The other was La piccola fiammiferaia (1953), which was based on Hans Christian Andersen's story The Little Match Girl. This film was even shown in Italy alongside a Hollywood movie called Attack! (1956).
Creating Disney Comics
After making animated films for a while, Scarpa decided to focus completely on Disney comics. By 1956, Italian publishers had run out of new stories by Floyd Gottfredson to print. So, Romano Scarpa was given the important job of continuing Mickey Mouse's adventures!
He was also inspired by another great Disney artist, Carl Barks. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Scarpa wrote and drew many popular stories. Some of these include Topolino e la collana Chirikawa (1960) and The Flying Scot (1957). These stories were so good that they were translated into many languages around the world.
Scarpa often got ideas for his comics from movies. For example, his story Topolino nel favoloso regno di Shan Grillà (1961) was based on the movie Lost Horizon (1937). He also created many stories featuring Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which were clearly inspired by the classic Disney film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). Sometimes, his comics even inspired movies! The Italian film Riusciranno i nostri eroi a ritrovare l'amico misteriosamente scomparso in Africa? (1968) was based on Scarpa's comic story Topolino e il Pippotarzan (1957).
Around 1963, Scarpa took a break from writing comics for several years. In the 1970s, he moved to Spain and worked for a different company. Towards the end of the 1980s and early 1990s, while still in Italy, he created some long stories. One famous one was Paperolimpiadi, which was about the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. He also drew short comic strips, similar to the ones he loved as a child. One of these, Topolino e l'enigma di Brigaboom (1989), was partly based on the movie Brigadoon (1954).
Even with all his comic work, Scarpa found time for more animation. He made Aihnoo degli Icebergs (1972) and The Fourth King (1977). He also worked on a TV series called The Adventures of Marco and Gina (Sopra i tetti di Venezia) in 2001.
While he mostly worked on Disney comics, Scarpa also drew other characters sometimes. He drew a story for Rolf Kauka's character Lupo and one for Hanna-Barbera's Yogi Bear. In the 1950s, he also drew stories about an Italian character named Angelino.
Romano Scarpa's Influence and Reprints
Romano Scarpa's work became very popular. In 1988, some of his comic stories were published in the United States by Gladstone Publishing. This was a big deal because it was the first time an Italian Disney artist's work was published in the U.S. Later, Disney Comics and then Gemstone Publishing also published his stories in the U.S.
Scarpa had a huge impact on many younger artists. For example, Giorgio Cavazzano worked as his inker (the person who outlines the drawings) in the 1960s. Many artists tried to draw in his unique style.
In 2017, Fantagraphics Books released a collection of his Snow White comics. It was called The Return of Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs. Fantagraphics Books also started a hardcover series called Disney Masters in 2018. So far, three volumes in this series have been dedicated to Romano Scarpa's amazing Disney work. These collections help new generations discover his classic stories.
Disney Characters Created by Romano Scarpa
During his career, Romano Scarpa created several new Disney characters. Many of these characters are now considered part of the official Disney Universe! Here are some of them:
- Brigitta MacBridge: She is Scrooge McDuck's self-appointed girlfriend. They have a funny love-hate relationship.
- Ellroy (Italian: Bruto): He is Ellsworth's adopted son.
- Dickie Duck (Italian: Paperetta Yé-Yé): A cool, energetic teenage duck. She was introduced as the granddaughter of "Glittering" Goldie O'Gilt.
- Gideon McDuck (Italian: Gedeone de' Paperoni): He is a newspaper editor and Scrooge's brother.
- Jubal Pomp (Italian: Filo Sganga): An unlucky businessman who always tries to copy Scrooge but never succeeds.
- Kildare Coot (Italian: Sgrizzo Papero): A quirky cousin of Donald Duck's.
- Portis (Italian: Plottigat): He is Black Pete's cousin and a very smart criminal.
- Trudy Van Tubb: She is Black Pete's partner and helps him with his crimes.
