Date:29/11/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/11/29/stories/2007112958462200.htm

Front Page

Don Quixote now as animated romp

Paul Hamilos

Madrid: It is the book that Spaniards like to pretend they have read, though few really work their way through its two lengthy volumes. But now there is no excuse for not knowing the plot of Don Quixote de la Mancha, Miguel Cervantes’ 17th-century epic: the first animated version of the novel to make it into the cinema is opening in Spain next week.

‘Donkey Xote’ will open on 300 screens, a record for a Spanish cartoon animation. After five years in production, at a cost of €15 million, it is Spain’s most ambitious such film yet, and hopes to challenge Hollywood’s domination of the Christmas market. It features stars of film, TV and radio as the voices of the eponymous hero, his faithful sidekick, Sancho Panza, and assorted animal companions as they set off to fight a duel in Barcelona over Don Quixote’s beloved Dulcinea del Toboso.

Squeezing the novel into 80 minutes, it gives starring roles to Don Quixote’s trusty steed, Rocinante, and Sancho Panza’s donkey, Rucio. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2007