Ciao Alberto

**Ciao Alberto** is a short film directed by McKenna Jean Harris. The film was released on November 12, 2021.

## Plot

After receiving a new letter from Luca about how life at school in Genoa is, Alberto writes back about how he has become a good "employee" to Massimo and has been helping him with fish deliveries. Despite his enthusiasm, Massimo barely talks to him personally except to warn him against being in their fishing boat without his supervision. It quickly becomes apparent that Alberto is seeking approval from Massimo, but is concerned about being "fired" for some of his mistakes.

Alberto tries to deliver caught fish efficiently, but keeps tossing them to the wrong people. He tries to cook lunch for Massimo, but makes a mess of the whole kitchen. While Massimo tries to converse with a customer, Alberto tries to lift a whole barrel of fish, only to be pressured by the weight. Massimo rushes to save him, but ends up falling into the water with the barrel, losing their day's catch.

Alberto sneaks out at night to catch more fish, but is followed by Machiavelli to the boat. After getting frightened by him, he drops his lantern and realizes that he accidentally set the boat on fire. They escape just as Massimo comes out to see the damage. He does not utter a word.

Upset by his inability to impress Massimo, Alberto packs up his things to leave, but Massimo rushes out to stop him, admitting that it was a mistake. As Alberto tells him to leave him alone, he accidentally calls him "dad", which shocks both of them. Massimo reveals that he once made his father so angry that he punched through a brick wall, but that they made up by patching it up together.

The next day, Massimo and Alberto, now communicating a lot better, work on fixing the boat as they finally share stories with each other.

## Cast and Characters

* Jack Dylan Grazer as Alberto Scorfano
* Marco Barricelli as Massimo Marcovaldo
* Jacob Tremblay as Luca Paguro

## Production

Ciao Alberto was directed by McKenna Jean Harris and produced by Matt DeMartini with Enrico Casarosa as an executive producer.

## Release

Ciao Alberto was released on November 12, 2021, as a Disney+ exclusive short film.

## Reception

### Critical Response

Jennifer Roy of CBR.com found the short film to be an example of how communication matters between a parent and a child to build a strong bond, stating, "While Luca did sub textually set up Massimo as Alberto's new parental figure, Ciao Alberto makes this subtext text and shows that a large part of parenting is learning to adapt to each individual child's needs to make sure they feel supported and loved unconditionally." Jay Snook of The Good Men Project complimented the humor of the short film. Stephanie Morgan of Common Sense Media gave the short a 4 out of 5, praised the short film for the depiction of positive messages and role models, citing communication and perseverance, and complimented the diverse representations, writing, "Kids will love the silly adventures, while parents will appreciate the social-emotional lessons, like how Massimo learns to become a better communicator in order to improve his relationship with Alberto."

### Audience Viewership

According to Whip Media, Ciao Alberto was the 8th most watched film across all platforms in the United States, during the week of November 14, 2022.

## Awards and Nominations

 Outstanding Directing for an Animated Program
 Outstanding Editing for an Animated Program
 Outstanding Sound Editing and Sound Mixing for an Animated PRogram