Il Grande Libro della Natura image

Il Passero

1999 (estimated) Il Grande Libro della Natura

English title: The Sparrow

Series title: The Great Book Of Nature

Studio
Mondo TV SPA

Synopsis

In the first part of the episode, a falcon and an owl join forces to protect the rice crop from a gang of rats. Thanks to its excellent eyesight the owl is an expert night hunter, while the falcon is in his element during the day. While the owl is conceited, the falcon never boasts about its hunting ability. When the falcon manages to stop a daytime attack by the rats single-handedly, all the other animals praise its action, and the owl is forced to admit it's been arrogant and too full of itself. In the second part, a wolf and a weasel join forces to find more food for the both of them, but the weasel then dupes its partner, and decides to eat all the eggs they have stolen from a nest. But things don't always go according to plan: when the wolf realizes it's been tricked, it vows to make the weasel pay&. In the third and last part, a fox sees a bear attach a bell to the leg of his falcon, and plans to steal it, thinking the bell has magic powers, and that the bear is using it as a lure for pheasants. What the fox doesn't realize is that the bear uses the bell merely to locate the falcon and its prey. In fact, after the fox steals it, the bell serves to locate the incompetent thief...

Characters

Bear, Ron Ron the Bee, Cat, Dog, Goat, Monkey, Fox, Sparrow

Credits

Music

Music
John Sposìto

Production notes

This series is largely composed of segmented episodes hosted by a bear, and each of these features one or more creatures. One can learn about a creature's life and habits during a question-and-answer session at the end of each episode. This brief educational section covers the featured topic and answers typical questions, such as "Where does an animal live?", "What does it eat?", "What are its enemies?" and "How is its relationship with human beings?"

Locations featured vary from sea, land, and sky... and the creatures in question include many kinds of fish, mammals, insects and birds. On occasion, a featured animal is presented with its own name, while at other times, creatures are presented according to only their species.

Towards the end of the series, multi-segmented stories are presented with human characters in supporting roles. These episodes allow the host to introduce fantastic, imaginary animals, such as the winged horse and the dragon, and also to share information about their prominent roles in mythology. The moral of the series is that because certain animals were looked upon as gods and immortalized in the mythologies of ancient history, we should, therefore, learn to pay better attention to the animal kingdom of today, so as to improve our understanding of the world in which we dwell.