Leslie Caron with puppets Renaldo the Fox and Carrot Top in the 1953 MGM musical Lili.

The inaugural Santa Monica Puppetry Festival kicked off today in Santa Monica, California and runs through Sunday. The festival is paying tribute to actress Leslie Caron and 1953 MGM puppet-themed musical Lili (better known as Carnival – the title of the film’s stage adaptation) with a special screening of the movie followed by a discussion with Ms. Caron moderated by film historian Leonard Maltin.

Leslie Caron will also be leading an audience sing-along of the Academy Award-winning song “Hi Lili, Hi Lo” from Lili as part of the festival’s Celebration of Puppetry. Also appearing on the bill is Mallory Lewis (who has taken over the role of Lambchop from her late mother Shari) and three legendary marionette puppeteers – Bob Baker, Tony Urbano and Rene Zendejas.

A Celebration of Puppetry Takes Place Saturday night 7:30 p.m.; the special screening of Lili is Sunday evening at the same time. Both events take place at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica. Visit www.santamonicapuppetryfestival.com for more details.

Update: Check out this classic interview with the puppets from Lili with a young Alan Cook on YouTube. In it Alan briefly explains some of the history behind the Lili puppets and their original puppeteers.