Yeah, it was the holocaust. one of the cast members was actually a survivor of a camp.

And I didn't know that Mel Brooks (of all people) said that Life is Beautiful trivialized the holocaust! It came out in theater in a time in my life where I was lonely with money to burn and I can honestly say I've seen that movie in the theater more than any other movie. It is whimisical(ish), but in no way trivializes the holocaust. It is made to be a Fairytale the father tells to shield his young child from the horrors they are living in. But it never makes light of it. It's one of my favorites. ❤️