La Linea (TV series)
A line walks, a hand draws, chaos follows.
La Linea ("The Line") is an Italian animated series created by cartoonist Osvaldo Cavandoli. It consists of 90 episodes that originally aired on the Italian network RAI from 1971 to 1986. The background music was composed by Franco Godi.
The show follows a character called Mr. Linea, drawn as a single outline that is part of an endless line. As he walks, he runs into problems and turns to a live-action hand holding a pencil, which draws solutions for him—sometimes successfully, sometimes not. Mr. Linea is voiced by Carlo Bonomi using a grammelot that mimics the Milanese dialect of Lombard, mixing gibberish with occasional Italian or English words. This approach made the series easy to export without dubbing. Episodes are short, ranging from 2 minutes and 30 seconds to 6 minutes and 40 seconds.
The series aired in more than 50 countries worldwide. Because of their brief length, the episodes were often used as interstitial programming on many networks, including in the United States. Over time, La Linea became widely popular and is considered a cult classic. It led to a comic strip, books, additional short films, merchandise, and numerous homages and parodies, with Mr. Linea appearing in other media.
Although episodes are numbered up to 225, only 90 exist. The 1971 series had 8 episodes, the 1978 series had 56 (numbered 101–156), and the 1986 series had 26 (200–225). All episodes are available on DVD.
The character was first proposed in 1969 to advertising agencies making films for Carosello. Engineer Emilio Lagostina, owner of the Lagostina pressure cooker company, liked the design and used Mr. Linea for commercials. Initially called Agostino Lagostina (the name was later dropped after the first series), the character was described as "a lively little man, with a truly expressive nose, with all the concerns and concerns of modern life. Son of a pencil and a hand." The first 8 episodes promoted Lagostina kitchenware, with narration identifying Mr. Linea. After the series ended its association with Lagostina, it became its own television show.
Internationally, La Linea aired on numerous European TV stations and in cinemas, mostly as filler between commercials. It won prizes in 1972 in Annecy and 1973 in Zagreb.
- Creator
- Osvaldo Cavandoli
- Country of origin
- Italy
- Number of episodes
- 90
- Original network
- RAI
- Original run
- 1971–1986
- Runtime per episode
- 2:30 to 6:40
- Background music by
- Franco Godi
Lore & Background
The series originated in 1969 when Cavandoli proposed his character to advertising agencies for Carosello. The character pleased engineer Emilio Lagostina, owner of the Lagostina pressure cooker company, who wanted him for commercials. Initially called Agostino Lagostina, the name was later removed. The first 8 episodes publicized Lagostina kitchenware, and after the association ended, the character became the protagonist of his own television series. All episodes are short subjects, ranging from 2:30 to 6:40 in runtime. The character is voiced by Carlo Bonomi in a grammelot similar to the Milanese dialect, with occasional Italian or English words, enabling easy export. The background tune was edited by Franco Godi and Corrado Tringali. Episodes are numbered up to 225, but only 90 exist: 8 from 1971, 56 from 1978 (101–156), and 26 from 1986 (200–225).
Reader's Guide
La Linea gained widespread popularity worldwide and is considered a cult classic. It aired in more than 50 countries, often as an interstitial program. In the United States, it was first shown on KQED's International Animation Festival and later on The Great Space Coaster, though not all episodes were used due to mature themes. It won prizes in 1972 in Annecy and 1973 in Zagreb. The series spawned a comic strip, books, additional short movies, merchandising, and countless homages and parodies. Its influence appears in music videos (Gigi D'Agostino's "Bla Bla Bla", Jamiroquai's "(Don't) Give Hate a Chance"), the opening of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, and the 2020 Pixar film Soul. The complete series is available on DVD in multiple regions.
Did You Know?
- The character was originally named Agostino Lagostina after the pressure cooker company owner.
- Carlo Bonomi, who voiced Mr. Linea, also voiced the character Pingu.
- The series won prizes at Annecy in 1972 and Zagreb in 1973.
- In Norway, the newspaper Dagbladet published all episodes daily on its website from 30 June to 31 October 2008.
More in Animated Television Series Without Speech 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced