Oscar-Contending Animated Charmer ‘The Originals’ Dials Clock Back to ‘70s Brooklyn When Kids Played In The Street And Neighbors Knew Each Other
deadline.comIf you happened to grow up in a particular section of Brooklyn in the ‘70s and played a game called Hot Peas and Butter with neighborhood kids, you might still have the welts to show for it.
As the Oscar-contending animated short The Originals reveals, that old time-y outdoor game involved the “winner” getting to smack other kids with a belt. “Most of our games came with pain,” one of the characters in the true story remembers, with a certain fondness.
The audio for the film comes from the reminiscences of a group of pals who have known each other “from when we were infants” in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn: Matteo Ruggiero, Carmine Ruggiero, Anthony DeMaio, Sal Alioto and Matteo Alioto.
The short was directed by Cristina Costantini and Alfie Koetter, a young couple who used to live in a building in Carroll Gardens owned by Matty “Square” Ruggiero. “We got to know our landlord the day he returned from prison,” Costantini said at a recent Q&A for the film at XTR Studios in Los Angeles. “We were captivated by [Matty] and the stories he would tell us.
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