Hedgehog in the Fog
Encyclopedia
Hedgehog in the Fog is a 1975 Soviet
/Russian
animated film directed by Yuriy Norshteyn
, produced by the Soyuzmultfilm
studio in Moscow
. The Russian script was written by Sergei Grigoryevich Kozlov, who also published a book under the same name. In 2006, Norshteyn published a book titled Hedgehog in the Fog, listing himself as an author alongside Kozlov.
(voiced by Mariya Vinogradova), who is on his way to visit his friend the bear cub. As explained in the introductory narration, the two would meet every evening to drink tea
from the cub's samovar
, which was heated on a fire of juniper
twigs. As they drank their tea, the hedgehog and the bear would converse and count the stars together.
On this day, the hedgehog decides to bring the bear cub some raspberry jam. As Hedgehog heads out, a sinister looking eagle-owl is following him. Hedgehog passes through the woods and encounters a beautiful white horse standing in a fog. He is curious as to whether the horse would drown if it went to sleep in the fog. The hedgehog decides to explore the fog for himself. As he goes down an incline into the fog, it is soon so thick that the hedgehog can't even see his own pink paw.
The fog alternately thickens and thins; when it thins the hedgehog briefly catches vague sight of objects and creatures which disappear again as the fog thickens. Hedgehog finds himself in a surreal and often frightening world inhabited by shapes which are not always identifiable and various creatures ranging from dangerous predators to benevolent animals, in a world of silence and rustles, of darkness, tall grass and enchanting stars.
The owl, which has been following the hedgehog, appears near him suddenly and hoots only to disappear again, prompting the Hedgehog to call it psycho . He is frightened, but his curiosity keeps him exploring the unknown. Occasionally an unseen distant voice is heard calling out for Hedeghog. Hedgehog explores a large hollow tree, then panics as he realises he has dropped the raspberry jam he was carrying. He encounters a large dog, which is initially frightening to Hedgehog, until the dog retrieves the jam for him.
Later he falls into a river and believes he is going to drown as he floats downstream on his back until he is rescued by a mysterious Somebody (a catfish) in the river that "speaks" to him silently and sets him on shore. The Hedgehog finds himself at the campfire where friend Bear cub is brewing tea. Bear (voiced by Vyacheslav Nevinniy) says how worried he was at Hedgehog's absence; he had been calling out to him but heard no answer. The two sit together, contemplating how good it is to be together again -- and the mysterious horse in the fog.
The characters Hedgehog and Bear Cub are convivial and tame. In contrast, the eagle-owl is more wild and mischievous, lacking Hedgehog's introversion.
Hayao Miyazaki
considers Yuriy Norshteyn "a great artist" and cited Hedgehog in the Fog as one of his favorite animated films.
, Kiev
.
Hedgehog in the Fog book
Norstein's Studio Official Website
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
/Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
animated film directed by Yuriy Norshteyn
Yuriy Norshteyn
Yuriy Borisovich Norshteyn , or Yuri Norstein is an award-winning Soviet and Russian animator best known for his animated shorts, Hedgehog in the Fog and Tale of Tales...
, produced by the Soyuzmultfilm
Soyuzmultfilm
Soyuzmultfilm is a Russian animation studio based in Moscow. Over the years it has gained international attention and respect, garnering numerous awards both at home and abroad. Noted for a great variety of style, it is regarded as the most influential animation studio of the former Soviet Union...
studio in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. The Russian script was written by Sergei Grigoryevich Kozlov, who also published a book under the same name. In 2006, Norshteyn published a book titled Hedgehog in the Fog, listing himself as an author alongside Kozlov.
Plot
This is a story about a little hedgehogHedgehog
A hedgehog is any of the spiny mammals of the subfamily Erinaceinae and the order Erinaceomorpha. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera, found through parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and New Zealand . There are no hedgehogs native to Australia, and no living species native to the Americas...
(voiced by Mariya Vinogradova), who is on his way to visit his friend the bear cub. As explained in the introductory narration, the two would meet every evening to drink tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
from the cub's samovar
Samovar
A samovar is a heated metal container traditionally used to heat and boil water in and around Russia, as well as in other Central, South-Eastern, Eastern European countries,Kashmir and in the Middle-East...
, which was heated on a fire of juniper
Juniper
Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
twigs. As they drank their tea, the hedgehog and the bear would converse and count the stars together.
On this day, the hedgehog decides to bring the bear cub some raspberry jam. As Hedgehog heads out, a sinister looking eagle-owl is following him. Hedgehog passes through the woods and encounters a beautiful white horse standing in a fog. He is curious as to whether the horse would drown if it went to sleep in the fog. The hedgehog decides to explore the fog for himself. As he goes down an incline into the fog, it is soon so thick that the hedgehog can't even see his own pink paw.
The fog alternately thickens and thins; when it thins the hedgehog briefly catches vague sight of objects and creatures which disappear again as the fog thickens. Hedgehog finds himself in a surreal and often frightening world inhabited by shapes which are not always identifiable and various creatures ranging from dangerous predators to benevolent animals, in a world of silence and rustles, of darkness, tall grass and enchanting stars.
The owl, which has been following the hedgehog, appears near him suddenly and hoots only to disappear again, prompting the Hedgehog to call it psycho . He is frightened, but his curiosity keeps him exploring the unknown. Occasionally an unseen distant voice is heard calling out for Hedeghog. Hedgehog explores a large hollow tree, then panics as he realises he has dropped the raspberry jam he was carrying. He encounters a large dog, which is initially frightening to Hedgehog, until the dog retrieves the jam for him.
Later he falls into a river and believes he is going to drown as he floats downstream on his back until he is rescued by a mysterious Somebody (a catfish) in the river that "speaks" to him silently and sets him on shore. The Hedgehog finds himself at the campfire where friend Bear cub is brewing tea. Bear (voiced by Vyacheslav Nevinniy) says how worried he was at Hedgehog's absence; he had been calling out to him but heard no answer. The two sit together, contemplating how good it is to be together again -- and the mysterious horse in the fog.
The characters Hedgehog and Bear Cub are convivial and tame. In contrast, the eagle-owl is more wild and mischievous, lacking Hedgehog's introversion.
Creators
| Director | Yuriy Norshteyn Yuriy Norshteyn Yuriy Borisovich Norshteyn , or Yuri Norstein is an award-winning Soviet and Russian animator best known for his animated shorts, Hedgehog in the Fog and Tale of Tales... (Юрий Норштейн) |
| Writer | Sergey Kozlov Sergey Kozlov Sergey Kozlov is a prominent award-winning American cinematographer. He has won 2 Nika Award and was nominated for a prime-time Emmy for outstanding cinematography for an NBC miniseries Merlin .... (Сергей Козлов) |
| Art Director | Franchesca Yarbusova (Франческа Ярбусова) |
| Animator | Yuriy Norshteyn Yuriy Norshteyn Yuriy Borisovich Norshteyn , or Yuri Norstein is an award-winning Soviet and Russian animator best known for his animated shorts, Hedgehog in the Fog and Tale of Tales... (Юрий Норштейн) |
| Camera Operator | Alexandr Zhukovskiy (Александр Жуковский) |
| Composer | Mikhail Meyerovich (Михаил Меерович) |
| Sound Operator | Boris Filchikov (Борис Фильчиков) |
| Script Editor | Natalya Abramova (Наталья Абрамова) |
| Voice Actors | Alexei Batalov (Алексей Баталов) Narrator Mariya Vinogradova (Мария Виноградова) Hedgehog Vyacheslav Nevinny Vyacheslav Nevinny Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Nevinny was a popular Russian actor titled a People's Artist of the USSR in 1986. He worked in the Moscow Art Theatre from 1959 until his death.-Biography:... (Вячеслав Невинный) Bear cub |
| Film Editor | Nadezhda Treshchyova (Надежда Трещёва) |
Awards
- 1976—Frunze All-Union Film FestivalAll-Union Film FestivalThe All-Union Film Festival was one of the most important film festivals of the Soviet Union. It was founded in 1958 and held regularly from 1964-1988. It was held annually from 1972 onwards, and bi-annually before that...
: Hedgehog in the Fog "best animated film" - 1976—TehranTehranTehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
Children's and Youth Film Festival: Hedgehog in the Fog "best animated film" - 2003—TokyoTokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
All time animation best 150 in Japan and Worldwide: Hedgehog in the Fog "№1 Animated film of all the time"
Other information
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.Hayao Miyazaki
Hayao Miyazaki
is a Japanese manga artist and prominent film director and animator of many popular anime feature films. Through a career that has spanned nearly fifty years, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a maker of animated feature films and, along with Isao Takahata, co-founded Studio Ghibli,...
considers Yuriy Norshteyn "a great artist" and cited Hedgehog in the Fog as one of his favorite animated films.
Legacy
Since January 2009 the main character (the Hedgehog) from the movie has a statue in the city center of the capital of UkraineUkraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
.
See also
- History of Russian animationHistory of Russian animationThe History of Russian animation is very rich, but is so far a nearly unexplored field for Western film theory and history. As most of Russia's production of animation for film|cinema and television was created during Soviet times, it may also be referred to as the History of Soviet...
- List of stop-motion films
Hedgehog in the Fog book
External links
- Hedgehog in the Fog at the Animator.ruAnimator.ruAnimator.ru is a Russian website chronicling the films, people and studios of the animation industry in Russia, the former Soviet Union and the CIS. It also includes a forum, a news block, a photo-gallery and an animators labour exchange...
- in the Fog at the Keyframe - the Animation Resource
- Laputa Animation Festival 2003 (in Japanese)
- BBC Article about Soviet brands, including "Ёжик в тумане" in Russian
Norstein's Studio Official Website