Chapter 1
DONACITA’S PIZZA
is an animated epic musical / romantic fairytale, in the style of an old-fashioned line-drawn cartoon with elements of modern anime.
Act I-
Donacita, as Magdala is called, is the daughter of an olive plantation owner in coastal Italy in the 1930’s. Her mother, the Dona of the farm, is always at arms with her. Donacita is unhappy at home, yearning for more freedom. In the opening, the house is preparing for a neighboring plantations wedding. As Donacita is dressing, a talking golden eyed ginko (a magical gecko) crawls into her room, and as she wonders at it and chases it about foolishly, it grumbles about itself and her foolish chase. She stubs her toe on the corner of her bed table, and it bleeds, soiling the hems of her fancy skirts.
Retreating in pain to her mother, the Dona gets very mad at her daughter’s misfortune, and doesn’t believe her foolish story of a magical ginko. The Dona tells her she is no longer permitted to come to the wedding party because she is immature and foolish making up stories and it has ruined her dress.
Angered, Donacita runs away into the fields and surrounding forest, thinking to find her neighbors party and to come behind her parent’s backs. The sun goes down.
Act II-
Donacita runs into the woods and quickly gets lost. Stopping to mourn, she sees a beautiful mushroom, and tries to eat it. Immediately she feels sick and becomes dizzy. She sits in a thicket and finds she has rested in a nest of ticks. Covered in them and vomiting, she runs and finds a stream and plunges into the water, frantically rubbing them off. The golden eyed ginko appears and eats off the remaining stubborn ticks, healing her body from the poison mushroom. He tells her to follow him, and they make it back to their plantation.
She arrives back at their cascina as her parents are also settling back into their home, they find her wet and disheveled. The Dona is unaware but angered, but the Nonna, the grandmother, with her super senses, interrogates Donacita suspiciously. Between the anger of the Dona, and the mitigation of the wise old Nonna, they agree to send Donacita out to live in one of the servant houses, where she can try to learn to keep her own house, and therefore have more independence.
In the morning they move her out, and the ginko reappears with her when she is alone. Deciding that they are hungry, Magdala wants to make them a cake for breakfast. She puts on all of her clothes that she likes and begins to cook. Going through the motions with coffee, cream, and what she knowns of making a cake, it dissolves into a soupy mess. The ginko likes it, and decides it cleverly should be called tiramisu, like a miserable melting tier of mess. The process takes all day, and she is very tired at the end, and quickly falls asleep within the mess of dishes and ingredients.
In the morning her cottage is infested with ants. The Ginko has a heyday with the plentiful lizard food, Donacita freaks and tries to clean among his feasts.
That afternoon she is hungry again and goes out to the fields to gather ingredients for dinner. She finds elderberries, olives, a suspicious yellow bitter root, and mushrooms. She brings her basket into her Nonna and asks what she can make. Old and infirm, her Nonna tells her about the food of her family’s childhood, focaccia, and tells her all her findings can be used, and how to make it. Carefully writing down the recipe, Magdala hurries back to her house, but on the way sees a company of men and women riding into her farm singing merrily.
Act III- The previous night’s wedding party is riding into her farm to express gratitude to their guests. Donacita sees one of the groomsmen as she approaches, and their eyes linger. She runs to the bride, her friend, and greets her, explaining her absence from the wedding and her newfound freedom in the cottage. The bride is astonished at the Dona’s reaction to her new pet, Ginko, which is carefully perched under her bounty, appearing cute, and tells her she must join them in their day’s ride to make up for it. Donacita is elated and says she will accept after she puts her dinner ingredients in her cottage.
Running to the stables while the party speaks to her parents, she mounts and rides to the bride. She introduces Donacita to the wedding party, including the groomsman, Gian, who she made eyes with. They ride through the hills of the neighboring farm and end with a picnic party on the beach with wine and food. Magdala and Gian flirt, she boasts of her independence from her mom, he asks what she’s managed to feed herself, she lies about a perfect cake, and tells him tomorrow she will make her Nonna’s focaccia. He is pleased and asks if she will share it with him. She accepts, feeling mature to have a guest to herself, and tells him to come over tomorrow.
The next day, Donacita cooks all day, dancing with the ginko. By dusk, she has the focaccia in the oven, and Gian arrives. When they have lit the candles and poured the wine, she removes the bread from the oven, and it is flat and burnt. She is in total dismay. He laughs and laughs and removes from his horse’s knapsacks sausage and cheese and bread, which he says his mother advised him to bring, as first-time bakers are often let down. She is embarrassed and makes him promise he will come back the next night, for she will surely get it right. They have a lovely picnic on her veranda and sing and dance.
The next day Donacita rises early and goes to her Nonna, pleading to her to help her bake this time. Wisely, her Nonna explains that while she invented the recipe, the Dona perfected it, so ask her. Donacita is embarrassed, preferring to keep her mother out of her love life and affairs, but the Nonna insists, and when the Dona enters, Nonna spills the beans, literally and figuratively. Surprisingly, the Dona accepts Donacita’s invitation to learn focaccia, and walks her through the steps with grace and poise, excited for her daughter prospects with the handsome Gian. At the end of the day, they have a perfect olive focaccia, and Magdala rushes it down to her cottage to meet Gian, who arrives promptly with wine. Surprised at her perfect meal, they have a blissful date. The Donacita has to admit her mom helped her, but says she can make it even better now, by herself, and asks if he’ll come one more night. Telling her he is needed back at his own estate the following day, he asks if he can come for breakfast before his long ride. She is disappointed but agrees.
She wakes before sunrise, the ginko helps her dress and prepare. This time, she tries her own dough, and when it emerges from the oven it is a flatbread, unrisen like focaccia, but adorned with cheeses and veggies from the garden her mother provided the previous day. The ginko calls it with pizazz, pizza… Gian arrives and is blown away by her creation. Nervously, he asks to visit again in a couple weeks as a guest of the family, when they can really be acquainted, and hints to a lifetime partnership. Donacita and Gian go to her family and offer the pizza and the deal of partnership.
