Cipollino (), or Little Onion as translated from the original, is a fictional character from

Gianni Rodari Giovanni Francesco "Gianni" Rodari (; 23 October 1920 – 14 April 1980) was an Italian people, Italian writer and journalist, most famous for his works of children's literature, notably ''Il romanzo di Cipollino''. For his lasting contribution ...

's eponymous ''Tale of Cipollino'' (), also known under its 1957 renamed title ''Adventures of Cipollino'' (), a children's tale about political oppression. He also appeared before the publication of the book in the children's magazine ''

Il Pioniere ''Il Pioniere'' () was a weekly children's comic magazine which existed between 1950 and 1970. It was headquartered in Rome, Italy. The magazine was close to the Italian Communist Party although it did not overtly contain political writings. H ...

'' of which Rodari was the editor. Cipollino was popular in the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, up to the point of being adapted as a ballet composed by

Karen Khachaturian Karen Surenovich Khachaturian (, ; Moscow, 19 September 1920 – Moscow, 19 July 2011) was a Soviet and Russian composer of Armenian ethnicity and the nephew of composer Aram Khachaturian. Khachaturian was born in Moscow, the son of Suren Khachat ...

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 Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...

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.

Adaptations

*''Chipollinos tavgadasavali'', a Georgian TV filmChipollinos tavgadasavali
on IMDb. Retrieved 17 July 2010. *''Cipollino'', a 1961

Soyuzmultfilm Soyuzmultfilm ( rus, Союзмультфи́льм, p=səˌjʉsmʊlʲtˈfʲilʲm , ''Unioncartoon'') (also known as SMF Animation Studio in English, formerly known as Soyuzdetmultfilm, ''Unionchildcartoon'') is a Russian animation studio, produ ...

film directed by

Boris Dyozhkin Boris Petrovich Dyozhkin (; – 13 March 1992) was a Soviet animator, animation and art director, as well as a caricaturist, book illustrator and educator at Soyuzmultfilm. He was a member of ASIFA, and was named Honored Art Worker of the RSFSR i ...

, and then re-released in 1993 by

Film Roman Film Roman, LLC, is an American animation studio currently based in Woodland Hills, California and formerly in Burbank. It was previously owned by Starz Inc., which is now a division of Lionsgate, and currently by Waterman Entertainment, the p ...

. 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 Sergey Aleksandrovich Martinson (; – 2 September 1984) was a Soviet and Russian stage, film and voice actor. People's Artist of the RSFSR (1964). Biography He was born in Saint Petersburg in the family of Swedish and Russian descent. His p ...

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 Georgy Mikhailovich Vitsin (; 18 April 1917 – 22 October 2001) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor. People's Artist of the USSR (1990). Biography Vitsin was born in Zelenogorsk, Saint Petersburg in 1917 (Soviet documents list h ...

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 Kathleen Barr is a Canadian voice actress. She is best known for voicing Marie Kanker and Kevin in ''Ed, Edd n Eddy'' and Trixie Lulamoon and Queen Chrysalis in '' My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic''. She also voiced Henri Richard Maurice ...

Lynda Boyd Lynda Boyd (born January 28, 1965) is a Canadian actress, singer, dancer, musician, and writer. She is perhaps best known for her roles in the films ''Final Destination 2'' (2003), ''An Unfinished Life'' (2005), ''She's the Man'' (2006), and ''O ...

* Paul Dobson *

Doc Harris W. I. "Doc" Harris serves as a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives for the 28th District, affiliating with the Republican Party, a position he has held since 2024. He graduated from Hernando High School, Northwest Community Co ...

* David Kaye *

Terry Klassen Terry Klassen is a Canadian voice actor, ADR director and writer. Before animation, Klassen worked in radio in Winnipeg (CITI-FM), Toronto (Q107), Calgary (CFAC), Portage la Prairie (CFRY) and part-time at CFOX and CFMI. In animation, he is best ...

Campbell Lane Campbell Lane (July 15, 1935 – January 30, 2014) was a Canadian actor who primarily did his work in Vancouver. He appeared in many television shows produced there, and was also a voice over artist. He narrated the 1999 video game ''Homeworld''. ...

Scott McNeil Scott McNeil is an Australian actor based in Canada, known for his live-action work as well as his roles in animation. His voice roles include Ace the Bat-Hound in '' Krypto the Superdog'', Voltar in '' League of Super Evil'', Jetfire, Backstop ...

Cathy Weseluck Cathy Weseluck is a Canadian actress and comedian who frequently works with Ocean Productions in Vancouver, British Columbia and is known for her roles as Near in ''Death Note'', Cybersix/Adrian Seidelman in '' Cybersix'', and Spike in Discovery ...

* Dale Wilson

References

External links