Hipster parents. Show your kids this movie! The short description of Bruno Bozzetto’s Allegro Non Troppo is the “Italian Fantasia.” But in many ways, Allegro, with its European socialist mentality, is a much more vibrant, lively film, albeit darker in tone. Take the animated sequence set to Claude Debussy’s "Prelude to an Afternoon of a Faun," where an elderly satyr is secluded from the sexual promiscuity of the virile young nymphs. Alone and rejected, he hallucinates a magical tree with lovely lady legs for a trunk and leaves made of breasts, round and plump like the Italians like them, only to find the breasts float away in the wind as he approaches. I remember seeing that tree as a child and my mind racing with questions and amusement. Still does. Would you like to let your children start thinking about sex and sensuality through a mature Italian film, or the unrealistic expectations set by Little Mermaid and Pocahontas? Or to teach your kids about poverty, let them see the cartoon complimenting Sibelius’ "Valse Triste." The narrative follows a cute little kitty cat exploring her demolished home, recollecting the happy times of sitting by the fire and drinking warm milk, as she slowly dies from hunger. Sounds heavy, but such is life, and the sooner your kids realize that, the sooner they’ll stop believing in toothpaste commercials. Then there’s Ravel’s "Bolero," a cartoon depicting the evolutionary journey from bacteria in a Coca-Cola bottle to super civilization. The march of man is beautifully animated as weird and unique creatures sprout from each other, the strongest and most fit surviving the longest. Find a cartoon that better encapsulates the theories of Darwinism. I dare you.

The vignettes that introduce each segment are slapstick silliness, reminiscent of the Three Stooges or the Marx Brothers. Take, for example, the orchestra composed entirely of kidnapped little old ladies. Or the artist imprisoned in a dungeon, only set free from his shackles so that he can animate for our enjoyment. It’s amusing and, at the same time, a commentary on underpaid labor and poor working conditions across the world. The laughs are broad and silly enough that even the smallest of viewers will understand them. So, for all you parents looking to expand your child’s mind, this is it. The DVD even comes with The Best of Bruno Bozzetto: 10 Short Films by Bozzetto. These are just as entertaining and beneficial to young curious minds, including a fun cartoon explaining the process of conception and gestation.

Children may be hesitant to watch a movie heavy on classical music (God knows I found Fantasia a snooze fest as a child) but hopefully the broad humor and beautiful animation will distract them. Hesitant or not, the earlier kids are introduced to high art, the more likely they’ll be the mature, hip, intellectuals you want them to be. It’s about time kids have their minds expanded, not dulled down. And as adults, they’ll thank you; thank you for introducing them to color and music and socialism and Darwinism and sexuality and art. Because, if you don’t teach them, they’ll have to teach themselves at school.

- Nikita Burdein