Peter and the Wolf

Peter and The Wolf

source: Peter and the Wolf

An outstanding animated short which deserved all the praise that it received. Not only the animation style of this magnificent short is incredibly well done, with a high level of detail and realism that goes beyond everything that I have seen before, but also, the way in which this story is told is magical and fascinating: "Peter & the Wolf" is partially a fairy tale, partially a semi-realistic story (With some naturalistic elements that go incredibly well with the hyper-detailed animation style) but is always something incredibly captivating and wonderful, which tells a simple story from an unique perspective. And that's what makes this something so special and fascinating, being one of the greatest animations that I've seen in my entire life. 10/10 (I would rate it with eleven stars if I could)

I heard about this film on the news, from director Suzie Templeton, from Hedge End, Southampton, Hampshire, England (which I know very well) won the Oscar for Best Short Animated Film, and deservedly so. It is a film based on the piece of music by Sergei Prokofiev, so like Fantasia, a story is added with the music to guide. Basically Peter is the young boy locked out the woods by his protective grandfather, and his only friend is a duck, he is bullied in town. Peter manages to steal the gate keys from his sleeping grandfather and enters the woods with the duck, and an ill-flying bird. They have a little fun on the frozen lake, with the grandfather's cat joining them. Soon though they encounter a wolf, and when it eats the duck, Peter wants to get revenge and capture the wolf with a near netting. He succeeds, and his grandfather sees it too, but in the end, when taking the caged animal into town, Peter can't let the wolf be either put in a stage show, or killed by hunters, he just lets it go. The stop-motion animation, particularly for the ginger cat and wolf, is extraordinary. Templeton apparently spent a year making this half hour film, and she deservedly won the Oscar for Best Short Animated Film (also nominated the BAFTA), a great triumph. Very good!

I remember the fun, animated version Walt Disney made many years ago, and the recording with Cyril Ritchard as narrator. (He was Captain Hook to Mary Martin's Peter Pan on Broadway and TV in the late 50s). This is totally different and nothing that the composer would have recognized. No music for the first 5-10 minutes, no narration, a grim modern city in present day Russia, where Peter gets thrown into a dumpster by a group of young thugs. The figures are scary for the under six crowd. I bought it for my 4 and 2 year old grandnieces, but won't give it to them. It would give them nightmares. I was not really entertained by it either. Even the animal friends of Peter are presented in a threatening form. Vastly disappointed.

This one might be controversial. In a time when animation studios like Pixar or DreamWorks create tons of successful high-budget animation films with lots of action and tension in it, one might wonder if there's still a place for films like these. Well, in my opinion, those are two very different animals. If you want action and suspense and you don't care about anything else, then go see "Toy Story 3" or "The Incredibles" and forget about this one. This story is from a time when nothing of the above-mentioned existed and people weren't dreaming of flying superheroes. This is a down-to- earth picture which deals with philosophical issues, without being pretentious and without demanding to much of its viewers. This particular realisation of that powerful and touching story is perfect in every way. Wonderful figures, a great attention to detail and an adequate rendition of Prokofiev's Suite altogether create a very genuine "Russian atmosphere". It is a true masterpiece and definitely deserves a wider audience.

This was an excellent short film and will have quality for all audiences to admire. In a mere 30 minutes, and without a single whisper of dialog the film, succeeds and encompasses a broad range of emotions, from laughing out loud to almost getting teary eyed. This is a movie that all audiences can enjoy. Kids will like it because the characters and their mannerisms are endearing and adults will like it because it will remind them of when they first heard the story. One of the best parts is that it is shorter than a full length feature so you or your children will not get ants in their pants from sitting still for so long. The visuals compliment the music rather well, the animation of faces convey emotions well and the drabness of the backgrounds and surroundings capture the harshness of Eastern Europe's brutal Winters. Sit back and enjoy this wonderful romp through one of the best pieces of classical music out there.

For a young boy, unhappiness can be a natural state. Peter and his aged grandfather live in a scrabbly old farmhouse on the edge of a forbidding Russian forest. The grandfather has built a wooden fence around the dirt yard and forbids Peter to go into the forest, where dangerous things lurk, like wolves. Peter hates this. All Peter has for a friend is a scruffy, long-necked duck. When he goes into town two hunters bully him. Still, Peter is a good kid. He helps a bird with an injured wing fly again with the help of a balloon. He sneaks out and plays on the iced pond, skittering and sliding and joined by the duck. He accepts his grandfather's fat, fat cat as a creature perhaps not to like, but not to hurt. Peter even manages to catch the dangerous, hungry and mangy wolf in his net. Peter stops his grandfather from shooting the wolf. When he and his grandfather take it to town, Peter is a hero. But it's not to last. Those hunters show up to taunt and bully the wolf. Peter stops them with his net. Then, Peter...and at this point you need to see this stop-action animation short film. The director, Suzie Templeton, changes some of Sergei Prokofiev's storyline, as well as ditching all the narrative. There's no dialogue, just the music and silence. She gives a conclusion that is unexpected, brave and touching. This is particularly so when we figure out that there are lessons to be learned, especially since there are bullies in this world, and good friends can die. Cats eat birds, wolves eat ducks, bullies hurt any they want who are weaker than they. This new look at Prokofiev's symphony for children runs less than 30 minutes. Over the years, the narrative, in my opinion, had become a boring old aunt who stays too long when she visits. There doesn't seem to have been a celebrity who hasn't wanted to prove his or her love for the kiddies, score some publicity and make a few bucks by doing the narrative. We're talking everyone from Arthur Godfrey to John Gielgud, Boris Karloff to Paul Hogan, Sean Connery to Mia Farrow, George Raft to William Buckley. That's just starters. Without the narrative, and with Templeton's visual style, we wind up concentrating on the story. That means we wind up concentrating on this kid who starts out unhappy and who winds up teaching us all a thing or two. The extras are worth watching, including the discussion of the development of the film by the director and how the stop-action animation stuff was worked. And, of course, you'll learn which musical instruments go with which characters. This Peter and the Wolf won the 2008 Academy Award for Animated Short Film. It's a thoughtful, delightful film.

In interviews on the DVD, Templeton says that hers is a darker Peter & The Wolf than others. Compared to Templeton's other work (the brilliantly crafted, deeply moving, but thoroughly distressing "Dog" and the creepy "Stanley", for instance), and considering the way she ends her "Peter", I'm not sure it's as dark as she thinks it is. This Peter and the Wolf is clearly not for little kids (when the wolf eats Duck, Peter's best friend, there's no hint that she — swallowed whole in a single gulp in Prokofiev's tale, but taken in several gore-free bites here — is alive and quacking in the end), but for anyone old enough to appreciate the scope of this mini masterpiece, a rewarding discovery awaits. The sense of connection between Peter and the Wolf is palpable. Two starving beasts get a taste of what they crave: The Wolf, a scrawny duck, and Peter, escape from his grandfather's stern, austere care. If you crave stop-animation with depth, substance, and beauty, you will find this brief film a 30-minute treat, too.

Trailer—Peter & the Wolf