Pet Pals: Marco Polo's Code (2009)

The Crow Witch hates Venice. Her hatred for the city dates back to when she was a young witch and fell into the lagoon during a magic experiment, thereby creating general hilarity among all the witches and wizards present.

Now that she has found a Palace in the Himalayas which contains all the magic created by the Wizards of the Orient over the last five thousand years, she intends to use the spells within the Palace of Magic for a single purpose: to drain the lagoon and turn it into a city like every other, with roads instead of canals and cars instead of gondolas and boats. In other words, to destroy Venice. There is only one way to stop her: get a hold of Marco Polo's Code which contains the instructions for finding and entering the Parallel Palace of Magic in Venice, which lies beneath the Rialto Bridge, and which contains all the magic needed to counteract Crow Witch's evil spells. When Marco Polo was busy completing his travels, Venetian merchants returning from China, came to know of the existence of the Palace of Magic in the Himalayas, and built an exact replica beneath the lagoon containing all the same spells. In order to get to the Code however, the keystone which was given to Marco Polo by the Grand Khan, must be found. It is rumored to have been abandoned by the famous explorer in the Oasis of Kebab, in Asia Minor. The Pet Pals can't wait to get started in their most challenging mission to date, finding Marco Polo's Code and saving Venice. Even if this means putting their busy lives on hold for a while. Holly the kitten is very busy doing a training course with the Chicago police; Diva, the brazen duckling, is conquering the catwalks of the Paris fashion shows, following her dream of becoming a top model; Top Hat the rabbit has found work as the bodyguard of a Hollywood star, while Pio, the aspiring actor, is doing an audition for the reality show "Squid Brother", but in the end is rejected since the only style he can swim is frog stroke.. After passing through London to stock up on various hi-tech gadgets, in true James Bond style, the Pet Pals set off in search of the keystone, with the first stop at the Oasis of Kebab. And so, with a mix of breathtaking chases, enthralling detective work and unexpected plot twists, the magic-filled battle to get a hold of the Code begins, against a ruthless antagonist who will not hesitate to use evil witchcraft to bring her diabolical plan to completion. The film received the Kinèo Movie Diamond Award in the Best Animation section at the 68th Venice International Film Festival.