Hey, I totally know what you mean! Could it be 'Stop Thief!'? It has an electronic component for some real detective action, and it's from the late '70s. Love the nostalgia!

Wow, that sounds amazing! I didn't know there was an Italian dub shown at Annecy. Did the animation style really match the Paper Mario games? I've been a fan of those forever. If only more info and footage were available. Any idea if clips might surface online eventually?