The famous invasion of bears in Sicily

The famous invasion of the bears in Sicily is an animated film of Franco-Italian production directed by the famous cartoonist and illustrator Lorenzo Mattotti, based on the novel of the same name by Dino Buzzati "The famous invasion of the bears in Sicily", written by Jean-Luc Fromental and Thomas Bidegain. The first images of the film were presented in June 2018 during the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, arousing great interest from the public and critics. The feature film is part of the official selection of the Cannes Film Festival 2019.

The story tells of Tonio, son of the bear king Leontius who is kidnapped by hunters. Since then, Leontius has lived in great torment, because he has not yet revealed the fact to his people.
Years later, the bear population is in severe shortage of food and decides to go down to the plains to be able to recover something to eat thanks to the men, while Leontius cultivates the hope of finding his son Tono right there.

Upon their arrival in the world of men, a fierce battle begins between the Grand Duke of Sicily and the bears. The bears manage to win thanks to the Muggle Bear, who makes enemy soldiers flee by throwing huge snowballs at them. The bears organize a party during which Professor De Ambrosiis, a magician banished by the Grand Duke, chooses to join the bears for the attack on the fortress of Cormorant. King Leontius tells him of his torment and asks him to find his son. The wizard, not expecting this request, claims to be able to cast only one spell (in fact, he has only two magical spells). The next day, the bears are attacked by the boar army of the Sire of Molfetta, cousin and ally of the Grand Duke. The wizard is forced to use the first spell to save himself and the bears, causing the boars to swell until they burst.

In revenge, the magician directs the bears to the haunted castle of The Devil's Rock. But the bears happily find their companions who died in the battle there, including the old bear Theophilus who reveals to King Leontius that he saw Tonio. The wizard, disappointed by his failure, then takes them to the castle of Tramontin, inhabited by the trolls.