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Hedgehog in the Fog

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Hedgehog in the Fog
Hedgehog in the Fog on the 1988 USSR stamp
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 (1975-10-23)
Running time
10 min. 29 s.
CountrySoviet Union
LanguageRussian

Hedgehog in the Fog (Russian: Ёжик в тума́не, romanized: 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[edit]

The Hedgehog (voiced by Maria Vinogradova) goes to visit his friend the Bear Cub to drink tea with raspberry jam and count the stars. The road along which the Hedgehog moves passes through deserted fields and forest thickets. In the early evening fog, the world seems mysterious, and outlandish images appear before the Hedgehog every now and then. Among them is an eagle-owl looking into a well, a snail suddenly turning into an elephant, a bat with a frightening wingspan, and a dog returning the bundle of jam to the Hedgehog when he loses it. Hedgehog is particularly impressed by a white horse, whose blurred silhouette appears several times in the haze.

Through the fog, the voice of the Bear Cub is periodically heard calling out to the Hedgehog. Hurrying to answer the call, the hero falls into the river. His savior is a mysterious “someone” who takes the Hedgehog to the shore. Having finally arrived at the Bear Cub’s house, Hedgehog listens to his friend (voiced by Vyacheslav Nevinny), who says that he has already blown up the samovar on the porch for evening tea, collected juniper branches “so that there is smoke”, and moved the wicker chairs to be more comfortable. He remarks that the Hedgehog is the only one he can really count the stars with.[5][6]

Creators[edit]

Hedgehog in Kyiv
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[edit]

  • 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[edit]

Director Yuri Norstein in 2009

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[edit]

Soviet-era children's animation and literature was faced with the task of producing politically acceptable content. Anthropologist Serguei Oushakine (Sergey Ushakin) 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[edit]

An English Dub of the film was made for Channel 4 in the United Kingdom for Christmas in 1998. Few changes were made, with strawberry-jam replacing raspberry-jam.

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]

The series Kikoriki has an episode called Chiko in the Fog, reminiscent of Nornstein's cartoon in its composition and style.

The 16th episode of Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon – Ultra Legends, "Memories in the Mist!" is inspired by this work.

The Cartoon Network Studios' series Summer Camp Island has an episode called "Pepper and the Fog", which is a tribute to the film.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  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, José (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). 17 February 2019. 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[edit]

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