Hedgehog in the Fog

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Hedgehog in the Fog
Directed byYuri Norstein
Written bySergei Grigoryevich Kozlov
Produced bySoyuzmultfilm
StarringAleksey Batalov
Maria Vinogradova
Vyacheslav Nevinny
Narrated byAleksey Batalov
CinematographyAlexandr B. Zhukovskiy
Edited byNadezhda I. Treshchyova
Music byMikhail A. Meyerovich
Release date
October 23, 1975
Running time
10 min. 29 s.
CountrySoviet Union
LanguageRussian

Hedgehog in the Fog (Russian: Ёжик в тумане, tr. Yózhik v tumáne, IPA: [ˈjɵʐɨk f tʊˈmanʲɪ]) is a 1975 Soviet animated film directed by Yuri Norstein[1] and produced by the Soyuzmultfilm studio in Moscow.[2][3] The Russian script was written by Sergei Grigoryevich Kozlov, who also published a book under the same name.

In 2006, Norstein published a book titled Hedgehog in the Fog, listing himself as an author alongside Kozlov.[4]

Plot[]

Hedgehog (voiced by Maria Vinogradova) sets off for his evening visit to his friend Bear-Cub. Every evening, the two meet to have tea and count the stars. This evening, Hedgehog is bringing Bear-Cub some raspberry-jam as a special treat. As Hedgehog heads out, a sinister-looking eagle-owl begins to stalk him.

As he walks through the woods, Hedgehog sees a beautiful white horse. As Hedgehog watches, the horse disappears into the heavy fog. Curious as to whether the horse will drown in the fog, Hedgehog decides to explore the fog for himself. As he travels into a valley, the fog is soon so thick that Hedgehog loses his way.

Believed that he has spotted the white horse, Hedgehog instead discovers a leaf floating down with a snail riding on it. Hedgehog tries to touch the snail, but it floats away and disappears. Another shadowy creature resembling an elephant appeared. It is so large and frightening that Hedgehog runs away, only to be startled by a black bat. All the while, the white horse is seen in glimpses.

Finally, Hedgehog spots the largest shape of all. Setting down his jam, he picks up a stick and pokes at the large shape to find that it is a hollow tree. Suddenly, he realizes that he has lost his jam and searches frantically for it, only to find himself surrounded by the owl, the bat, and the shadowy elephant. He becomes more and more confused and frightened until a friendly dog emerges from the fog and returns the jam to Hedgehog.

Hedgehog attempts to find a way out of the fog, but falls into a river. He is resigned to let the river take him where it will, but a mysterious voice asks what is wrong. The voice (implied to belong to a fish) takes Hedgehog to shore, where Hedgehog finds himself back in the woods, free from fog. Hedgehog thanks his rescuer.

Resuming his journey, Hedgehog runs into Bear-Cub (voiced by Vyacheslav Nevinny), who has been searching for his friend. At first, Bear-Cub scolds Hedgehog for being so late that the tea has gone cold and the fire has burned down, but eventually, Bear-Cub admits that he was worried that something ill had become of Hedgehog and that there would be no-one with whom to watch the stars.

The two friends sit by the fire and drink their tea. Bear-Cub talks on and on about how glad he is to have found his friend, but Hedgehog stares in silence at the stars, wondering what became of the white horse.[5][6]

Creators[]

Hedgehog in the Fog on the 1988 USSR stamp.
Role Name
Director and Animator Yuri Norstein (Ю́рий Норште́йн)
Writer Sergei Grigoryevich Kozlov (Серге́й Григо́рьевич Козло́в)
Art Director Francheska Yarbusova (Франче́ска Я́рбусова)
Animator Yuri Norstein (Ю́рий Норште́йн)
Camera Operator Alexandr Borisovich Zhukovskiy (Алекса́ндр Бори́сович Жуко́вский)
Composer Mikhail Alexandrovich Meyerovich (Михаи́л Алекса́ндрович Мееро́вич)
Sound Operator Boris Pavlovich Filchikov (Бори́с Па́влович Фи́льчиков)
Script Editor Natalya Nikolayevna Abramova (Ната́лья Никола́евна Абра́мова)
Voice Actors Aleksey Batalov (Алексе́й Бата́лов) Narrator (Расска́зчик, Rasskáztchik)
Maria Vinogradova (Мари́я Виногра́дова) Hedgehog (Ёжик, Yózhik)
Vyacheslav Nevinny (Вячесла́в Неви́нный) Bear-Cub (Медвежо́нок, Medvezhónok)
Film Editor Nadezhda Ivanovna Treshchyova (Наде́жда Ива́новна Трещёва)

Awards[]

  • 1976—Frunze All-Union Film Festival: Hedgehog in the Fog "best animated film"
  • 1976—Tehran Children's and Youth Film Festival: Hedgehog in the Fog "best animated film"
  • 2003—Tokyo All time animation best 150 in Japan and Worldwide: Hedgehog in the Fog "№1 Animated film of all the time"

Production[]

The fog effects were created by putting a very thin piece of paper on top of the scene and slowly lifting it up toward the camera frame-by-frame until everything behind it became blurry and white.[7]

Role in Soviet animation[]

Soviet-era children's animation and literature was faced with the task of producing politically acceptable content. Anthropologist Serguei Oushakine recognizes this atmosphere of indefinite deferment in the animation, stating: "The main thing is the work of imagination, or more precisely, the terror and pleasure with which it is linked. The final scene of pleasure, to which these various phantasmal and/or realistic experiences should indeed have led, is not included in the plot."[8] This is evident through the hedgehog's anxiety and fixation on the horse, even after he succeeds in meeting the bear for tea.

Legacy[]

Hedgehog in the Fog was ranked No. 1 in a poll at the 2003 Laputa Animation Festival where 140 animators from around the world voted for the best animated films of all time.[9]

Hayao Miyazaki, acclaimed animator of Studio Ghibli stated that he drew his inspiration from many animators including Yuri Norstein.[10][11]

Since January 2009, the main character (the Hedgehog) from the movie has a statue in the city center of the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv.[12]

The film was spoofed in the third episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy, "Spies Reminiscent of Us", in 2009. [13]

The opening ceremonies for the 2014 Winter Olympics referenced this work, mentioning it in a list of signature Russian accomplishments and artists, including Fyodor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, and Sputnik.[14]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jeff Lenburg (2006). Who's who in Animated Cartoons: An International Guide to Film & Television's Award-winning and Legendary Animators. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 264. ISBN 978-1-557-83671-7.
  2. ^ "The 77 best kids' films of all time. Hedgehog in the Fog (1975)". telegraph.co.uk. 6 May 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  3. ^ Clare Kitson (2005). Yuri Norstein and Tale of Tales: An Animator's Journey. Indiana University Press. pp. 46–48. ISBN 978-0-253-21838-4.
  4. ^ Ёжик в тумане. Ozon.ru. Retrieved on 2012-11-23.
  5. ^ Maureen Thomas,François Penz (2003). Architectures of Illusion: From Motion Pictures to Navigable Interactive Environments. Intellect Books. ISBN 978-1-841-50045-4.
  6. ^ Mark Whitehead (2004). Animation: The Pocket Essential Guide. Summersdale Publishers LTD - ROW. p. 113. ISBN 978-1-848-39836-8.
  7. ^ "Все свободны" – разговор на свободные темы. svoboda.org (2007-07-04)
  8. ^ Alaniz, Jos&#xe9 (2011). "Reviewed work: Veselye chelovechki: Kul'turnie geroi sovetskogo detstva. Nauchnaia biblioteka, I. Kukulin, M. Lipovetskii, M. Maiofis". Russian Review. 70 (3): 513–515. JSTOR 41289990.
  9. ^ 世界と日本のアニメーションベスト150. ふゅーじょんぷろだくと. 2003. ASIN 4893933671.
  10. ^ ""Снежная королева": почему без этого советского мультфильма у японцев не было бы аниме". russian7.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2020-08-17.
  11. ^ "Bloomsbury Collections - Princess Mononoke - Understanding Studio Ghibli's Monster Princess". www.bloomsburycollections.com. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
  12. ^ "Monument to 'Hedgehog in Fog' appeared in Kyiv", UNIAN (2009-01-27)
  13. ^ "Family Guy" Spies Reminiscent of Us (TV Episode 2009)-Connections-IMDB
  14. ^ NBC sets talky tone with Olympics Opening Ceremony|Tube Talk|stltoday.com

External links[]


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