Lupo the Butcher is a 1987 three-minute animated shortcomedy film directed and written by Danny Antonucci. The short follows the story of a butcher who has a huge temper and swears at his meat when the smallest things go wrong. Produced by Marv Newland's International Rocketship Limited, Lupo the Butcher was a successful short and has earned itself a cult following.
Plot
An Italian-Canadian butcher named Lupo is complaining about his job one day, while cutting meat in his shop. As each new slice falls to the ground, Lupo grows increasingly angry and swears at the meat. He then accidentally cuts off his own thumb, which inexplicably causes his entire body to fall apart. Blood gushes out onto the ground, and the various pieces of Lupo's body collapse into a pile. The screen darkens and closes in on Lupo's severed head, but before the scene can disappear entirely, Lupo's head jumps forward, still alive. It remains on the screen, shouting insults during the credits, before falling asleep.
Production
Danny Antonucci, who has worked in animation since the 1970s, decided to create his first solo work. Tired of people thinking that animation was only for children, he wanted to create a "character that people would believe in". Due to his Italian heritage, Antonucci wanted his character to be an Italian immigrant who would blame America for all of his problems. Originally named "Lupo the Barber", Antonucci eventually settled on the name "Lupo the Butcher". This character was inspired by his father and uncle. After the short was finalized, Antonucci was pleased with his creation, and felt that the three-and-a-half minute movie "worked out". It was produced by Marv Newland's International Rocketship Limited. Released in 1987, it was shown at Spike and Mike's Festival of Animation. Antonucci went on to found a.k.a Cartoon, Inc., with which he would create The Brothers Grunt and Ed, Edd n Eddy.
Reception
Upon its release, Lupo the Butcher was a successful short and has earned itself a cult following. Eric Fogel, co-creator of Glenn Martin, DDS, stated that Lupo the Butcher inspired him to pursue a career in animation, saying: "That film opened my eyes to a world of animation that was strictly for grownups and inspired me to pursue a career path that was a bit more…twisted." In an interview with Take One, Linda Simensky described the short as "the South Park of its time" and stated that she remembers tapes containing the short being passed around her office in 1988. It was featured in Spike and Mike's book Outlaw Animation, written by Jerry Beck, and in the Spike and Mike DVD.
Other media
The Lupo character was eventually licensed by the Converseathletic shoe company, that has produced some animated commercials such as Lupo's Nightmare, where Lupo dreams that a giant high-top wants to kill him. This led to additional work, including other animated commercials for Levi Strauss & Co. and MTV. In 2010, Danny Antonucci revealed that a second short called Meat the Family was planned by a.k.a. Cartoon in 1996, but it remained unfinished. It had to be based on Lupo and his family, composed of his wife Sette Culo, his son Retardo, his father Papà Piscione and a cat named Feesy. The designs also appeared in Spike and Mike's book Outlaw Animation, written by Jerry Beck. They were then resumed for achieve an animated television series based on the original short; no further reports, however, have been made since then. In fellow animator Bill Plympton's 1992 animated musical feature filmThe Tune, Lupo is briefly referenced during the "Heartbreak Hotel" musical segment. A homicidal bellhop is showing various suites of the eponymous hotel to the protagonist of the film and introduces "the Lupo Suite!" whereupon opening the door, Lupo is seen at his butcher's block and uttering his famous "I kill you!" whilst slamming his cleaver into the block.
