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Italy’s Gruppo Alcuni unveils an animated series spotlight on rare diseases

27/07/2021

Gruppo Alcuni has completed the finishing touches on “A Rare Friend”, a unique live-action/CGI short in the Leo da Vinci series to raise youngsters’ awareness of FabryDisease, a rare genetic condition.

Commissioned by the Italian Anderson-Fabry Association (AIAF) and Network for Rare Hereditary Metabolic Disorders, this special event is made possible by a co-production with Rai Ragazzi and Cosmos Maya.

Fabrizio is a 21st century live-action teen-ager, who suffers from Fabry Disease. His big burden is not having friends, but his wish to meet Leonardo da Vinci is even bigger. As Fabrizio dreams, he time travels back to 15th century Florence as an animated character who gets to know Leo and friends in Verrocchio’s workshop.

Not only does he experience exciting adventures with his new buddies, but he also becomes the driving force behind the outstart of rare disease medical research. Returning to his 21st century life, Fabrizio knows that it wasn’t all just a dream: on his desk is a souvenir from his good buddy Leo da Vinci, which gives him new hope and the confidence to get through his day to day challenges with Fabry Disease.