- Pelusa Suero
- Enrique Conlazo
- Susana Sisto
- Marcelo Chimento
- Norma Esteban
- Mario Gian
On a stormy night, a exhausted sparrow named Salapin nearly drowns in a muddy pool, only to be saved by a living scarecrow called Trapito who steadies him and tucks him into his warm, dry inside pocket. The rescue sparks a quiet conversation between them: Trapito admits he feels lonely and puzzled, while Salapin urges him to step beyond his lifelong field and glimpse the world. They seek counsel from the wise old owl, the Patriarch of the Birds, who senses something missing in Trapito—imagination. The Patriarch suggests they venture out together to discover new horizons.
Their journey begins with a chance meeting in the village with Larguirucho, a friendly yet somewhat bumbling mouse who runs a small farm filled with animals, especially his pigs. They travel to the town where Larguirucho peddles cheeses and shares a meal with Salapin and Trapito, only to have his money snatched by a crafty crow named Ataúlfo. The innkeeper’s stern warning to pay a lingering debt—else the mother pig will be butchered—sets a tense tone. Larguirucho struggles to find steady work until fate lands him a job as an assistant carpenter. A pirate, seeking a peg leg for his Captain Mala Pata, appears, and after the peg leg is crafted, it is turned over to Larguirucho for delivery. A mishap follows: near the butcher, the carpenter mixes the peg leg with a few similarly shaped hams, and Larguirucho inadvertently delivers one of the hams to Mala Pata.
Mala Pata, ruthless and ambitious, commands his crew to shanghai Larguirucho and press Trapito into service as a figurehead. The pirate sails toward a tropical island marked on a map as the place where crystal tears lie hidden. A mutiny to gain the tears seems imminent, but the trio—Larguirucho, Salapin, and the small pig—unravels the plan, foiling the rebellion. In a decisive turn, Mala Pata elevates Larguirucho to first mate and frees Trapito, cementing a fragile partnership aboard the pirate ship.
Arriving at the island, the new first mate and his companion are ordered to dive to the sea bottom to retrieve the tears. They discover that the crystal tears are wept by a mermaid named Espumita and are associated with the happiness of the sea creatures. Espumita’s oceanic world is threatened by the Cruel Octopus, a fearsome pirate who leads a crew of crabs and swordfishes. Espumita’s partner, a noble Sea Horse, unites the good sea creatures in a defense, briefly turning the tide against the octopus. The Sea Horse is captured, prompting a daring rescue by Larguirucho and Trapito; their bravery earns them one of Espumita’s crystal tears. They return to Mala Pata’s ship with the prize, but the Cruel Octopus continues to menace them, forcing Mala Pata and Ataúlfo to dive back into the sea in pursuit of more tears.
Back in town, Larguirucho, now treated as captain, uses the crystal tear to settle the innkeeper’s debt. The farm soon becomes his home again, and Salapin encounters a female sparrow, with whom he falls in love. Their bond leads them to fly away together, leaving Trapito behind. The loneliness of the scarecrow deepens, yet the narrative returns to warmth when Salapin and his mate return the following year with their chicks, turning Trapito into a playful guardian for the young birds. The field, once a solitary space for Trapito, becomes a place of companionship through the chicks he now helps raise.
In some markets, Argentina and Spain included a distinctive opening by Petete, a puppet penguin beloved by the director, who speaks to audiences about the creation of the scarecrow, adding a charming introductory touch to the film.
