Grisù
| Industry | Animation, Entertainment |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1972 |
| Founder | Nino Pagot, Toni Pagot |
| Products | Animated television series, children's books |
| Parent | Mondo TV (for the revival) |
Grisù il draghetto is an Italian animated series centered on Grisù, a young dragon with the ambition of becoming a firefighter.
Creation
The series was developed by the Italian siblings Nino Pagot and Toni Pagot, who are also recognized for creating Calimero. Grisù first appeared in 1964 through black-and-white commercial shorts promoting Mentafredda Caremoli candies, broadcast as part of the show Carosello. In 1972, a complete series consisting of 52 episodes was released, further exploring Grisù's stories. Additionally, the character inspired a collection of children's books.
Characters
- Grisù: The central figure, a young Draconis dragon aspiring to join the firefighting profession. His Italian voice actor is Paolo Torrisi.
- Fume: Grisù’s father, who has a fascination with fire but disapproves of Grisù’s firefighting goals. Voiced by Germano Longo.
- Sir Cedric: The human neighbor who frequently entrusts Grisù with difficult tasks. Voiced by Gino Pagnani.
- Lady Rowena: The spouse of Sir Cedric, voiced by Isa Di Marzio.
- Stuffy: The dog belonging to Sir Cedric, serving as both protector and butler.
- Krazy: Grisù’s silent girlfriend from the planet Dracone, notable for her inability to breathe fire.
- Torvo the bird: A Scottish neighbor regularly caught up in Grisù’s fiery accidents despite efforts to avoid him.
Revival
A CGI reboot of the series was announced on November 18, 2020. This revival is a collaboration between Italian studio Mondo TV, German production and distribution company ZDF Enterprises, and German animation studio Toon2Tango, partners since 2019. Pre- and post-production were handled by Mondo TV’s Spanish and French branches, while ZDF Enterprises managed worldwide distribution except in regions overseen by Toon2Tango and Mondo TV. The new series premiered on December 4, 2023, airing on channels including Rai Yoyo, Kika, Canal+ Kids, and JimJam.
International broadcast
- Italy
- Germany
- France
- Canada
- Czech Republic
- Slovakia
- ČST1 (dubbed as 'Dráčik'; also available as a 2008 DVD dub)
- South Africa
- SABC1 under the title 'Groenie die drakie' (Afrikaans dub)
- Arab League
- Various regional broadcasters (dubbed as 'التنين الصغير' (Altiniyn alsaghir))
- ART Children
- Qatar Television
- Australia
- United States
- PBS
- USA Network (featured within the programming block Calliope)
- United Kingdom
- Spain
- Switzerland
- Austria
- Belgium
DVD releases
The entire 52-episode series was made available in Italy through a collection of 13 DVD volumes.
In Germany, the initial four volumes were distributed by ARD Home Video starting October 7, 2003.