Oscarless Cartoons Bonus 1

Oscarless Cartoons Bonus 1: Le Génie de la boîte de raviolis (2005)

Le Génie de la boîte de raviolis, or The Genie in a Tin of Ravioli, is an enjoyable Swiss stop-motion short film about Armand, who works at a tinned pasta manufacturing company. One day when getting home from work, while opening a can of ravioli, a yellow Genie pops out!

After singing a song to Armand, the Genie tells him that he gets to make two wishes, instead of the traditional three. Armand decides to wish for a small garden with flowers, but after being pressured by the Genie, he wishes for a meadow of flowers inhabited by sheep, birds, butterflies, and snails.

The Genie then asks Armand for what his second wish will be, and Armand decides to wish for a plate of spaghetti. However, the Genie pressures Armand again, and he wishes for a banquet with the Genie as the guest complete with butlers.

After the meal, Genie decides to go home, but he has trouble fitting back in his can. After a couple failed attempts to fit back in, Armand asks the what he while he's locked in the can, and Genie says he counts the ravioli. Armand comforts the sad Genie and tells him that he will be his genie, but he will only grant one wish. After being pressured by Armand like how the Genie did earlier, he wishes for a stream to soak his feet in. After his dream comes true, Armand joins the Genie and they sing together.

If you're wondering where and how I found out about this underrated Gem, it was included as a bonus feature on the DVD and Blu-Ray release of the Academy Award® nominated Swiss stop-motion feature film, My Life as a Zucchini, which is actually intended for an older audience.

When I was looking online about the Oscars recently, I was flabbergasted when I found out that 'Genie' didn't get nominated for the Best Animated Short Subject. The Genie in a Tin of Ravioli is a charming short film with a sweet little story, Aardman quality animation, and likable characters. The short's in French, but hopefully, a subtitled version might be available somewhere online.
Well, that's all I have to say about Oscarless Cartoon Bonus Round #1! Tune in next Friday on September 14th when we head back to Warner Bros with another great Chuck Jones cartoon, One Froggy Evening!