LUPO DE LUPIS

ï ¿½ Hanna & Barbera

Original title: Loopy de Loop Characters: Lupo de Lupis, Lamb, Bristle shepherd dog Production: Hanna and Barbera Regia: William Hanna, Joseph Barbera

Country: USA Year: 1959 Gender: Comedian / Adventure Episodes: 49 Duration: 7 minutes Recommended age: Children from 6 to 12 years old

Lupo de Lupis is the protagonist of a series of cartoons (original title Loopy de Loop) produced by the stainless couple formed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera in the late 50s and up to 1965. He is a wolf who overcomes the stereotype of the villain and tries to make himself useful to other defenseless animals and to men, but is continually misunderstood and no one seems to understand his intentions.
And so, from time to time, Lupo de Lupis tries to stand up as champion of a little shepherdess, a lamb, a child, an orphan girl or a rabbit chased by a hunter, but always ends up succumbing to natural distrust. that his proteges cherish for him.
The character, with his inseparable hat and scarf tied around his neck, has a delightful French interlayer that aims to soften his appearance, which, as we have said, is not captured by those around him, those who the poor wolf try to make friends.
Among the various characters that appear in some episodes of the series there is also Giacomino, the wolf nephew of Lupo de Lupis.
The cartoon is all in all pleasant, the gentle and polite character awakens positive feelings in the spectator who takes the side of the wolf victim of an eternal injustice. If the idea of ​​making the wolf play the good part, by reversing the roles for once, appears to be an expedient that has something innovative, the episodes of the cartoon appear a little repetitive, always following the usual cliché.
This, which is actually a characteristic of the characters created by Hanna Barbera, appears emphasized in this series, probably due to the brevity of the duration of the individual episodes that do not allow the unfolding of a more complex story.

ï ¿½ Hanna & Barbera

Let's see, by way of example, how an episode develops, taking for example the one entitled "Lupo de Lupis and the rabbit".

The episode opens with Lupo de Lupis seeing the vet's van arrive. Surely there will be some sick animal, our wolf thinks, and immediately runs to see, hoping to be of help.
In fact, this is exactly how a hunting dog suffers from a cold and therefore cannot perform its task. The vet decides to admit him to the hospital and the hunter is left without his faithful helper. In an attempt to make himself useful Lupo de Lupis proposes himself to the hunter as a substitute and the latter, although not too convinced, accepts, wanting to continue the hunt. He explains to our hero that he has to look for the tracks of a rabbit and the wolf, animated by good intentions, immediately gets to work and finds a rabbit.
The rabbit, however, asks for mercy, listing an innumerable number of children waiting for him in his den, to which must be added those probably born in his absence.
The wolf obviously lets himself be moved and hides the defenseless animal in the hollow of a tree trunk.
But the rabbit does not trust him and is sure that the wolf will betray him, and so, as soon as Lupo de Lupis turns his back on him, he runs to hide in another hollow trunk.
When the hunter arrives, completely satisfied with the speed with which the wolf has found the tracks of the rabbit, Lupo de Lupis points to the hollow trunk in which the rabbit has hidden, without his knowledge, convinced to remove the man from his prey .

ï ¿½ Hanna & Barbera

The hunter finds the rabbit that in fleeing swears at the poor wolf, meditating for revenge.
To this end, he creates easy-to-follow tracks that lead Lupo de Lupis into a cave, in front of which he places a prominent sign indicating the cave as a rabbit refuge and hides, but so that he can observe the scene.
The hunter arrives and rejoices at the sight of the sign, convinced that his new hound wanted to simplify his task.
Start shooting in bursts by shooting the poor wolf out of yarn from the cave.
The story is not over yet, the unsatisfied hunter continues his hunt and once again the victim will be the gentle wolf.
In the meantime, the vet brings back the hunter's dog recovered from his cold which, diligently, sets out on the rabbit's tracks, tracks that Lupo de Lupis is following, with a completely different intent, who collides with the dog.
The hound discovers that the wolf has stolen his role assaults him, but the hunter arrives and defends our hero, grateful for the help he has provided him in the rabbit hunt.
Has our wolf finally got the recognition it yearns for and deserves?
It would seem just like this were it not that as soon as the wolf moves away the hunter's eyes fall on a notice attached to a tree trunk. It is a notice in which a bounty is promised to anyone who catches a wolf. Forgetting the gratitude towards the animal until a moment before, the hunter immediately sets out to hunt.
The episode ends in the usual way, with poor Lupo de Lupis who, misunderstood, runs away from the one he thought he was helping.

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Lupo de Lupis is Copyright © Hanna and Barbera, and are used here for cognitive and informative purposes.