Disney Launches TV Show set in Alberobello: Trulli Tales

As if Alberobello and the trulli region of Puglia needed any more publicity (bringing in far too many tourists), Disney is going to be broadcasting a new TV cartoon series about the pointed roofed houses--Trulli Tales.

Trulli Tales, The Adventures of Trullalleri is a new animated series for children, set in Alberobello. It will be broadcast from December 11 in different parts of the world including Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

The series is cute, in the same animation style as My Little Poney for younger kids, and is a mix of cooking school,  enchanted kingdom and superhero, something like Teen Titans. The series' four friends are the main characters... Ring, Sun, Zip and Stella, who are summoned by Nonnatrulla to cook the recipes from her magical cookbook. Always in their way, the sinister plans of the funny and messy mischievous Copperpot.

Basically, the running plot is this: An enchanted kingdom at the foot of an ancient olive grove, a secret recipe book about to disappear forever, a baker and four small young apprentices who attend the famous School of Magic and Cooking in Trulliland where their cooking utensils are magic wands, and the recipes reveal emotions as they run up against normal childhood problems.

For me, I'm glad my son is 14 and beyond this stuff (not as cute as Max & Ruby, Rolie Polie Olie or Peep which he grew up watching). Besides, the video clip I've seen looks a bit simplistic and not very challenging for younger audiences.  I also have a problem with Nonnatrulla saying "et voilà" like a French chef instead of speaking Italian ("Ecco qua"), or local dialect. And why is the secret lever to open the hidden cellar kitchen a French baguette?

Still, it's a cute interpretation of the real life trulli of Alberobello and a cartoon for little ones...

--Jerry Finzi