THE DYNAMITE BROTHERS (1949)

I Fratelli Dinamite was advertised as Italy's first animated cartoon feature, though historians would hold out for the now-lost 1930s film Pinocchio. Released in the U.S. as The Dynamite Brothers, the film concerns the misadventures of three brothers, musicians all. The story follows the siblings' progress from the conservatory to a desert island to the Venice Carnival. The message is that happiness must be earned, a sugar-coated pill of wisdom that went down easily with the film's youthful fans. Not quite in the Disney league, I Fratelli Dinamite is nonetheless colorful, expertly rendered entertainment.