Cudnovate zgode segrta Hlapica

Plot synopsis:
Original Croatian character names are in parentheses.
Lapitch (Šegrt Hlapić), a small orphan mouse, works in a small town as the apprentice of the Scowlers—a mean-mannered shoemaker (Majstor Mrkonja), and his kind-hearted wife (Majstorica). His dog, Brewster (Bundaš), keeps him company when he is alone.
Master Scowler awaits a visit from the Mayor (Gradonačelnik) and his son (both pigs); Lapitch has to make sure the pigs' boots are the right size. When the piglet tries to put them on, things do not go well, and the two patrons leave for good. Lapitch tries to tell the Master it was not his fault, yet he still blames his young apprentice for the mistake.
Mistress Scowler apologises for her husband's bad behaviour. While he tidies up, she tells the young mouse that she and her husband used to be happier ages ago. Lapitch wants to know why, but the Mistress vows only to tell him when he is older.
Lapitch writes a letter to the Scowlers and leaves the village, wearing the piglet's boots. Although Lapitch has said good-bye to Brewster, the dog joins him the following morning. Eventually, the two of them visit a young squirrel named Marco (Marko), who lives in a house with a blue star on its walls, and help him round up some geese that went astray while he was tending to the flock.
At evening, Marco's mother thanks them by serving a luscious supper. An awkward raccoon, Melvin (Grga), eavesdrops on the group's conversation. Hearing of a valuable treasure stored inside their house, he runs off to tell his boss, the evil Dirty Rat (Crni Štakor), about the goods.
When morning comes, Lapitch and Brewster say farewell to the squirrels. The road ahead, however, does not go smoothly: an afternoon of unusual weather culminates in an evening storm, and they must find shelter. When they do, under an old bridge they meet Dirty Rat himself, and sleep next to him. Because of Dirty Rat—"King of the Underworld" as he is known—Lapitch wakes up shocked to see his boots gone.
As he looks for the shiny pair, he meets Lisa (Gita)—another orphan mouse—and her parrot Pico (Amadeus); both came from a circus whose ringmaster treated them badly and left them behind. During their journey, the two mice and their pets meet Melvin's hardworking mother and help her chop wood. Worried about her son's bad deeds, Melvin's mother gives Lapitch a silver coin for luck before they go off. The mouse later gives it to the raccoon, after he falls off Dirty Rat's wagon.
Soon, the group team up with some villagers to extinguish a fire, but the villagers make Melvin a suspect in the area's recent robbery sting. In addition, the group encounters a poor cat like Warthog named Yana (Jana), whose magic powers give Lapitch the courage to face the evil Dirty Rat.
After the gang comes to a circus, Lisa entertains the patrons of an under-used merry-go-round. As night falls, she reunites with her horse, Blanka (Zorka), after hearing its neigh. But a nasty surprise awaits everyone: Dirty Rat makes a deal with Lisa's ringmaster in which he vows to reach Marco's house with a fast horse, and steal the family chest. Lapitch and friends plan to stop him for good when they hear this.
Later on, they meet Master Scowler, whom Melvin has just rescued. Scowler tells them he was robbed and tied up in a tree for two days. They all set forth to put an end to Dirty Rat; Melvin gives them a hand, but his boss ties him and swings him out of the way.
A determined Lapitch, guided by Yana and her wise advice, comes to terms with the villain's schemes. Dirty Rat is so enraged that his horse charges straight at the little mouse, about to trample him. At the last moment, a bolt of lightning splits the harness; the Rat and his cart fall down a cliff, encased in huge boulders, Dirty Rat is presumably dead.
The clouds clear as soon as everyone celebrates. Then, Lisa tames Dirty Rat's black horse, and gives it to Melvin, who promises to live a good life after what he has gone through, Lapitch was sad if Lisa was possibly killed by Dirty Rat.
The next day, Lapitch, Yana Marco and the rest arrive at Marco's house, where his mother shows them the family's valuable treasure; she also receives Melvin's coin. When they leave, they meet Marco's father, gone for a long time after working in a faraway land.
Back home, a worried Mistress Scowler is delighted to see everyone back again—Brewster, Master Scowler, Lapitch and Lisa. By then, she and her husband finally recognise Lisa, the orphan circus star, as their lone child Susanna. The Scowlers have their happiest moment ever due to this; afterwards, Master plays a pleasant tune on his violin, and everybody dances to it. Eventually, the Scowlers rekindle their relationship, and the town dwellers celebrate along with them. In time, Lapitch becomes the most respected shoemaker they have ever known.

Tags: good versus evil

Review:
A little animated gem from Croatia. As someone who very much likes the show, this viewer found the film to be even better, both sparking interest in seeing more of Croatia's animation. Lapitch the Little Shoemaker mayn't be one of the best animated films ever made, but it is a great little gem and well worth the time if able to track down.The animation is beautifully done, wisely keeping it simple but never too safe or over-simple. The drawing is of smoother quality than those of the show (which still is of good quality visually), it's bright and colourful with some suitably dark atmospheric moments, the backgrounds are very detailed and rich in colour, atmosphere and quaint charm and some moments of outstanding imagination (like in the Dirty Rat musical number). There is some great music here too, the incidental music is whimsical, lively and sometimes haunting and the songs are really quite good, with the tender Take My Hand, the catchy Shoe Song and the rousing Farmers and Friends Forever. The best though is Dirty Rat's song, melodically it is both fun and sinister and coupled with some truly imaginative and wonderfully surreal visuals and characterful vocals, it is one of the better non-Disney animated villain songs to me.Lapitch the Little Shoemaker is very well written as well, not afraid to bring depth while also respecting its main target audience. It's immensely charming, entertaining and inspiring, with the humorous moments being well-judged and actually funny rather than dumb or juvenile and there are some valuable lessons and good ideas that the film shows without being heavy-handed at all. Some parts, like with Dirty Rat, are also dark, without being too frightening, Lapitch and Lisa's relationship is portrayed very charmingly here helped by that the two characters are also both likable, and the Scowlers' back story brings depth and poignancy to the film. The story is very well-thought out and eventful, while never feeling that the film is too rushed or stretched, it also tries to break away from any formulas which is admirable and doesn't feel convoluted or muddled at all.The characters are really engaging, Lapitch and Lisa are very easy to like, Brewster and Pico are amusing and sympathetic, the Scowlers are written well enough for their backstory to resonate to the extent that Master Scowler's initial attitude towards Lapitch is understandable and Dirty Rat is such an enjoyable villain and has some genuine menace. Melvin is quite well-rounded too. The voice work is very good, especially for that of Lapitch and Dirty Rat. My only small complaint actually is the little too convenient climax with Dirty Rat's defeat feeling too easy.Overall though, a great little gem, and while the show is seldom seen and was short-lived (with not as much depth as the film present) it is also good, just as charming, entertaining and inspiring and goes perfectly with the film it's spun off from. 9/10 Bethany Cox