Hugo the Hippo
Encyclopedia
Hugo the Hippo is a 1973
animated
film produced by the Pannónia Filmstúdió
of Hungary
and co-produced in the United States
by Brut Productions, a division of French perfume company Faberge
. It was released in Hungary in 1975 and in the United States in 1976 by 20th Century Fox
.
A group of children find Hugo and attempt to hide him as best they can, building a garden to feed and take care of him. However, Hugo is discovered and the garden is burned to prevent the children wasting their time with him and neglecting their schoolwork. Hugo is forced to scavange from the local farms for food, and is put on trial for the damage his nighttime raids caused.
Fortunately, the children manage to contact the Sultan who agrees to appear in court to speak for Hugo. The ruler makes a powerfully impassioned speech about how the hippos were mistreated both by their neglect and their uncalled for culling, which removes all doubt that Hugo is the true injured party in this affair. As a result, the hippo is released and the children agree to care for the hippo for the rest of his days.
Marie Osmond
, Jimmy Osmond
, Burl Ives
, Ken Williams Quartet, White Water.
, in 1973. The film, produced over a two-year period, received funding from the Faberge company via its Brut productions label. Its U.S. distributor, 20th Century Fox, acquired Hugo along with two other Brut films starring Elliott Gould
, Whiffs
and I Will, I Will... for Now
.
suggests that Hugo the Hippo may never get a DVD release due to its psychedelic, weird, politically-incorrect
and violent content.
1973 in film
The year 1973 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces his second wife, Barbara Blakely. Blakely would later marry actor/singer Frank Sinatra....
animated
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
film produced by the Pannónia Filmstúdió
PannóniaFilm
Pannonia Film Studio is the largest animation studio in Hungary, based in the capital of Budapest.-History:...
of Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and co-produced in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by Brut Productions, a division of French perfume company Faberge
Fabergé
Fabergé may refer to:*House of Fabergé, a Russian jewelry firm founded by Gustav Faberge in 1842*Fabergé workmaster, goldsmiths who produced jewelry for the House of Fabergé*Fabergé eggs, the most famous works of the House of Faberge...
. It was released in Hungary in 1975 and in the United States in 1976 by 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
.
Plot
The Sultan of Zanzibar has a harbor infested with sharks, which makes it impossible for ships to trade with him. In an attempt to fix the problem, he brings twelve hippos into the harbor to keep the sharks away. His idea works well enough, but once the hippos are no longer a novelty and the people no longer feed them, they begin to starve. After the hungry hippos rampage through the city looking for food, Aban-Khan, the king's adviser, slaughters all the hippos except one, a little hippo named Hugo. Hugo escapes across the sea to the town of Dar es Salaam, on the African mainland.A group of children find Hugo and attempt to hide him as best they can, building a garden to feed and take care of him. However, Hugo is discovered and the garden is burned to prevent the children wasting their time with him and neglecting their schoolwork. Hugo is forced to scavange from the local farms for food, and is put on trial for the damage his nighttime raids caused.
Fortunately, the children manage to contact the Sultan who agrees to appear in court to speak for Hugo. The ruler makes a powerfully impassioned speech about how the hippos were mistreated both by their neglect and their uncalled for culling, which removes all doubt that Hugo is the true injured party in this affair. As a result, the hippo is released and the children agree to care for the hippo for the rest of his days.
Soundtrack
Music and texts by Robert Larimer, directed by Bert Keyes, singMarie Osmond
Marie Osmond
Olive Marie Osmond is an American singer, actress, doll designer, and a member of the show business family The Osmonds. Although she was never part of her family's singing group, she gained success as a solo country music artist in the 1970s and 1980s...
, Jimmy Osmond
Jimmy Osmond
James Arthur "Jimmy" Osmond is an American singer, actor, and businessman.-Biography:Jimmy Osmond is the youngest of his siblings and an occasional member of their musical group, The Osmonds. He is the ninth and last child of George and Olive Osmond, and his siblings are Virl, Tom, Alan, Wayne,...
, Burl Ives
Burl Ives
Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives was an American actor, writer and folk music singer. As an actor, Ives's work included comedies, dramas, and voice work in theater, television, and motion pictures. Music critic John Rockwell said, "Ives's voice .....
, Ken Williams Quartet, White Water.
- "It's Really True" (Marie Osmond)
- "Sing Song, Pass it Along" (Ken Williams Quartet)
- "Zing Zong" (White Water)
- "H-I-P-P-O-P-O-T-A-M-U-S" (Jimmy Osmond)
- "You Said a Mouthful" (Burl Ives)
- "This Friendship is Really True" (Marie Osmond)
- "Mister M' Bow Wow" (Jimmy Osmond)
- "The Best Day Ever Made" (Burl Ives)
- "I Always Wanted to Have a Garden" (Marie Osmond)
- "Somewhere You Call Home" (Marie Osmond)
- "Wherever You Go, Hugo" (Jimmy Osmond)
Cast and crew
- Directors - William Feigenbaum and József Gémes
- Screenplay - Thomas Baum, William Feigenbaum and József Szalóky
- Production Design - Graham PercyGraham PercyGraham Percy was a noted illustrator of children's books. He was born and brought up in New Zealand. He studied Graphic Design at the Royal College of Art, graduating in 1967 and becoming a freelance artist specializing in children's book illustration. He had over 100 books to his credit, some of...
Hungarian-language cast
- Ferenc BessenyeiFerenc BessenyeiFerenc Bessenyei was a Hungarian actor. He appeared in 75 films between 1920 and 2001. He was also the husband of Hédi Váradi.-Selected filmography:* Kiskrajcár * The Brute...
- Narrator (voice) - László MárkusLászló MárkusLászló Márkus was a Hungarian actor. He appeared in over 90 films and television shows between 1952 and 1985...
- Sultan (voice) - Tamás Major - Aban-Khan (voice)
- Gábor Berkes - Jorma (voice)
- István BujtorIstván BujtorIstván Bujtor , born István Frenreisz, was a Hungarian actor, director, producer and screenplay writer- Biography :...
- Jorma's Father (voice) - Kati KovácsKati KovácsKati Kovács is a Hungarian singer and actress.She became first famous nationally in 1965 when she won the seminal TV talent show in Hungary “Who Knows What?”...
- (singing voice) - Erzsébet Kútvölgyi - (singing voice)
- Péter MátéPéter MátéPéter Máté is a Hungarian footballer who plays for Debreceni VSC as a defender.-Club career:Máté was born in Püspökladány, Hungary and started his career at his local football club, Tünet SE...
- (singing voice)
English-language cast
- Burl IvesBurl IvesBurl Icle Ivanhoe Ives was an American actor, writer and folk music singer. As an actor, Ives's work included comedies, dramas, and voice work in theater, television, and motion pictures. Music critic John Rockwell said, "Ives's voice .....
- Narrator (voice) - Robert MorleyRobert MorleyRobert Adolph Wilton Morley, CBE was an English actor who, often in supporting roles, was usually cast as a pompous English gentleman representing the Establishment...
- Sultan (voice) - Paul LyndePaul LyndePaul Edward Lynde was an American comedian and actor. A noted character actor, Lynde was well known for his roles as Uncle Arthur on Bewitched and Harry MacAfee, the befuddled father in Bye Bye Birdie...
- Aban-Khan (voice) - Jesse Emmett - Royal Magician (voice)
- Ronnie Cox - Jorma (voice)
- Percy RodriguezPercy RodriguezPercy Rodriguez was a Canadian actor who appeared in many television shows and films from the 1950s to the 1980s...
- Jorma's Father (voice) - Len MaxwellLen MaxwellLen Maxwell was an American voice actor and announcer.-Career:Prior to his career in voice-overs, Len was a stand up comedian....
- Judge (voice) - Marie OsmondMarie OsmondOlive Marie Osmond is an American singer, actress, doll designer, and a member of the show business family The Osmonds. Although she was never part of her family's singing group, she gained success as a solo country music artist in the 1970s and 1980s...
- (singing voice) - Jimmy OsmondJimmy OsmondJames Arthur "Jimmy" Osmond is an American singer, actor, and businessman.-Biography:Jimmy Osmond is the youngest of his siblings and an occasional member of their musical group, The Osmonds. He is the ninth and last child of George and Olive Osmond, and his siblings are Virl, Tom, Alan, Wayne,...
- (singing voice) - Don MarshallDon MarshallDonald Robert Marshall is a retired Canadian ice hockey forward. He was born in Verdun, Quebec.Don played in the National Hockey League from 1951 to 1972. During this time, he played for the New York Rangers, Buffalo Sabres, Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens...
- Additional characters (voice)
Italian-language cast
- Sandro Tuminelli - Narrator (voice)
- Giorgio Gusso - Sultan (voice)
- Paolo Lombardi - Aban-Khan (voice)
- Sandro Pellegrini - Royal Magician (voice)
- Riccardo Rossi - Jorma (voice)
- Germano Longo - Jorma's Father (voice)
- Fausto Tommei - Judge (voice)
- Suan (Annamaria Baratta) - (singing voice)
- complex voice I nostri figli - (singing voice)
- choir 4+4 of Nora Orlandi - (singing voice)
- Sandro Tuminelli - (singing voice)
Czechoslovakian-language cast
- Pavol Mikulík - Narrator (voice)
- Ľubo Gregor - Sultan (voice)
- Štefan Skrúcaný - Royal Magician (voice)
- Ivan Krivosudský - Judge (voice)
- Marcela Molnárová - (singing voice)
- Jana Kocianová - (singing voice)
Production
Hugo the Hippo was the first international release of a PannoniaFilm production; prior to this, they had also made Hungary's first animated feature, János VitézJános Vitéz
János Vitéz is a poem written in Hungarian by Sándor Petőfi and a musical by Pongrác Kacsóh adapted from the poem. The poem was written in 1845, and is notable for its length, 370 quatrains divided into 27 chapters, and for its clever wordplay. It has gained immense popularity in Hungary, and is...
, in 1973. The film, produced over a two-year period, received funding from the Faberge company via its Brut productions label. Its U.S. distributor, 20th Century Fox, acquired Hugo along with two other Brut films starring Elliott Gould
Elliott Gould
Elliott Gould is an American actor. He began acting in Hollywood films during the 1960s, and has remained prolific ever since. Some of his most notable films include M*A*S*H and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, for which he received an Oscar nomination...
, Whiffs
Whiffs
Whiffs is a 1975 film directed by Ted Post. It stars Elliott Gould. It is about a gullible private that volunteers to be the subject of numerous military biological and chemical weaponry experiments and later robs banks....
and I Will, I Will... for Now
I Will, I Will... for Now
I Will, I Will... for Now is a 1976 film directed by Norman Panama. It stars Elliott Gould and Diane Keaton.-Plot:The marriage of Les and Katie Bingham is in big trouble. They've already split up once, and now they're giving it one more try, but the bedroom of their New York apartment is not a...
.
Home video/DVD releases
After an unsuccessful box-office run, Hugo was briefly released to the American home video market in the early 1980s. It was released on DVD only in Hungary and Italy. Reviewer Phil HallPhil Hall (US writer)
Phil Hall is an American writer. He is a contributing editor for the online magazine Film Threat.-Writing:Hall works as an editor for Zackin Publications, editing a monthly mortgage-banking magazine called Secondary Marketing Executive....
suggests that Hugo the Hippo may never get a DVD release due to its psychedelic, weird, politically-incorrect
Political correctness
Political correctness is a term which denotes language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense in occupational, gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, certain other religions, beliefs or ideologies, disability, and age-related contexts,...
and violent content.
External links
- hugothehippo.com - a fansite
- Official Pannoniafilm website (archived at the Wayback MachineWayback MachineThe Wayback Machine is a digital time capsule created by the Internet Archive non-profit organization, based in San Francisco, California. It is maintained with content from Alexa Internet. The service enables users to see archived versions of web pages across time, which the Archive calls a "three...
) - A 1966 Time article about the real Hippo