Gopo's Little Man
Gopo's Little Man is a simplistic naked humanoid character that appears in most of Ion Popescu-Gopo's animation films.
History and symbolism
The Little Man first appears in A Brief History, an animation film telling the story of the Universe and humankind from an evolutionary perspective. The trepidations caused by a dinosaur made a monkey fall off a tree and break its tail. The monkey then got off the ground under the appearance of The Little Man, who is then shown climbing a ladder. As he climbs, he successively turns into an Egyptian, a Greek, a Roman, a medieval knight, a Victorian gentleman, and a modern man.The Little Man explores the deep seas and then flies to space in a rocket.
The success achieved by A Brief History turned The Little Man into an iconic character, symbolizing the human race in its quest for knowledge and beauty. Ion Popescu-Gopo was going to use it in another seven films. In many situations, The Little Man is shown holding a flower to his heart, which is taken to symbolize the humans' capacity and need for love.
Filmography
A Brief History Seven Arts Homo Sapiens Allo Hallo Ecce Homo Three Apples Quo Vadis, Homo Sapiens?- ''Homo Faber''
Awards
- Palme d'Or in the Cannes Film Festival for A Brief History
- The Grand Prize for the Best Animation Film in the Tours Film Festival for Seven Arts
- The Golden Gate Award of the San Francisco Film Festival for ''Homo Sapiens''