Willy the Sparrow

Willy the Sparrow (Hungarian: Vili, a veréb) is a 1989 Hungarian animated film directed by József Gémes. It was released in Hungary to critical acclaim and it won the Prize of the Audience at the 3rd Kecskemét Animation Film Festival. The English adaptation was directed by Scott Murphy. Voice actors included Sarah Schaub, Barta Heiner, Rick Macy and Aaron Bybee. The film was released on DVD in 2004.

The story is about a 10-year-old boy named Willy who enjoys pretending to shoot birds with a BB gun until he is turned into a Sparrow by the Sparrow Guardian. Willy becomes lost outside without knowing how to fly, and he is taken in by a sparrow named Cipur; Cipur teaches Willy how to fly in exchange for Willy teaching Cipur how to read. Later, Willy helps a group of sparrows retake their home in a barnyard from a cat.

The movie begins with Willy at home sick and is pretending to be a hunter. Using his imagination to see his cat, Sissy, as the tiger, he torments the cat with his water gun. He then decides to shoot a BB Gun at a flock of sparrows outside at the local park, stunning them away, but angers an elderly lady who in reality is the Sparrow Guardian, who magically enters Willy's apartment unnoticed. She then transforms Willy into a sparrow in hopes of teaching him a lesson of respecting all living things. However, she didn't have enough spray to make Willy have the ability to fly, rendering him defenseless. The Sparrow Guardian quickly leaves to refill her magic hair spray. While Willy was making himself comfortable in his sparrow form, Sissy appears and sees Willy as lunch instead of her master. Not used to walking like a sparrow, Willy was nearly eaten by his own cat, but was saved and placed outside by his little sister, Tonya. He soon meets two sparrows, Red and TJ, who discovers Willy's inability to fly and then calls help on an elder sparrow named Cipur to help Willy learn to fly. The three sparrows then carries the flightless Willy to safety, escaping an incoming attack from a persistent, hungry Sissy.

Meanwhile, the Sparrow Guardian is looking for Willy. Sissy is also looking for him.

In an attic where Cipur's nest was in, Cipur tells Willy that he wanted to read and write like a human because he was fascinated by their knowledge and technology, but he keeps this as a secret in fear of being shunned by the other sparrows. He makes a deal with Willy that if he teaches the young sparrow how to fly, Willy will teach Cipur how to read. As the flying lesson was underway, Sissy finds Willy and Cipur and attacks. Before she could eat Willy, Cipur intervenes and lures an angry Sissy atop the roof where he trapped her head under the weight of a ceiling hatch. Under Cipur's care, Willy is taught how to fly, and in return, Willy teaches Cipur how to read and write. One day, when Cipur went to find some food, Willy decides to venture out in the open to explore the outside world after learning how to fly properly. He flies back to the park and joins a flock of young sparrow, led by Red. They decided to show Willy the barn they used to hang out, until it was taken over by a big, black cat named Blackie.