Lapitch the Little Shoemaker () is a 1997 animated feature that was originally released by Croatia Film. Produced on vintage cel equipment during the early 1990s, this was the third feature from Croatia Film's animation unit and director Milan Blažeković, after The Elm-Chanted Forest (1986) and The Magician's Hat (1990).
It is based on The Brave Adventures of Lapitch, a 1913 novel by Croatian author Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić. In this adaptation, all of the characters are animals, and the title character is a mouse, rather than the human character of the original work. As with the book, the film is about a shoemaker's apprentice who leaves the confines of his ill-tempered master, and sets off on an adventure. During his journey, he befriends a circus performer named Gita, and fights against the evil Dirty Rat.
Lapitch remains Croatia's most successful production in terms of viewership, and became that country's official selection for the 1997 Academy Awards (in the Best Foreign Language Film category). Its popularity led to the production of a 26-episode television series, also called Lapitch the Little Shoemaker, at the end of the 1990s.
In February 2000, it first appeared in North America as the initial entry in Sony Wonder's short-lived "Movie Matinee" video series. The Disney Channel also premiered it on U.S. cable television later that same month.
Plot
Original Croatian character names are in parentheses.
Lapitch (Šegrt Hlapić), an orphaned mouse, works in a small town as the Scowlers' apprentice, who consist of a mean shoemaker (Majstor Mrkonja) and his kind-hearted wife (Majstorica) with his dog, Brewster (Bundaš). Mr. Scowler awaits a visit from the pigs' Mayor (Gradonačelnik) and his son; Lapitch has to make sure the pigs' boots are the right size. Things do not go well when the Mayor's son tries on his boot. As a result, they leave. Lapitch tries to tell his master that it was not his fault, yet he still blames him for it. Mrs. Scowler apologises for her husband's bad behaviour. While he tidies up, she tells the Lapitch that she and her husband used to be happier ages ago. Lapitch curiously wants to know why, but Mrs. Scowler vows only to tell him when he is older.
Lapitch writes a letter to the Scowlers before leaving town with the boots. Brewster eventually joins him the following morning. The two of them visit a young squirrel named Marco (Marko), who lives in a house with a blue star on one of its walls, at where they round up some geese that went astray while he was tending to the flock. At evening, Marco serves the group supper. An awkward raccoon, Melvin (Grga), eavesdrops on their conversation. Hearing of an artefact stored inside their house, he runs off to tell his boss, the evil Dirty Rat (Crni štakor), about the goods.
Lapitch and Brewster bid farewell to the squirrels. While leaving for home, an afternoon of unusual weather culminates with an evening storm, forcing them to find shelter. They meet Dirty Rat under the bridge, who introduces himself as the "King of the Underworld". The next day, Lapitch wakes up shocked to see his boots gone. As he looks for them, he meets the orphaned Lisa (Gita) and her parrot Pico (Amadeus) who came from a circus whose ringmaster mistreated and left them behind. During their journey, the mice and their pets meet Melvin's mother and help her chop wood. Worried about her son's misbehavior, Melvin's mother gives Lapitch a lucky coin before they leave. Lapitch later gives Melvin the coin.
Soon, the group team up with other residents to extinguish a fire, but they make Melvin a suspect in the area's recent robbery string. In addition, the group encounters a poor cat-like warthog named Yana (Jana), whose magic powers give Lapitch the courage to face Dirty Rat. After the gang comes to the circus, Lisa entertains the patrons of an underused merry-go-round. By nightfall, she reunites with her horse, Blanka (Zorka). It was revealed that Dirty Rat made a deal with Lisa's ringmaster in which he vows to reach Marco's house by horse to steal the family chest. Lapitch and friends plan to stop him for good when they hear this.
Later on, they meet Mr. Scowler, whom Melvin has just rescued. Scowler tells them he was robbed and tied up to a tree for two days. They all set forth to defeat Dirty Rat; Melvin gives them a hand, but his boss ties him and puts him out of the way. Lapitch, guided by Yana, confronts Dirty Rat. Enraged, he has his horse charge straight at the little mouse, about to trample him. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning splits their harness; the rat and his cart fall from a cliff.