On March 21, a unique holiday was celebrated - International Puppet Theater Day. The idea of its creation belongs to a prominent figure puppet theater Jivadu Zolfagariho. In 2000, he brought up the idea of celebrating Puppet Theater Day on international level, but the first celebration took place only in 2003. It seems like it couldn’t be simpler to suggest something to celebrate. Where there... But no matter how long the implementation of the idea may be International Day puppet theater, this holiday still exists.
It is in his honor that our selection of cartoons today has been compiled. The editors of Tlum.Ru present to your attention the top 10 Soviet puppet cartoons.
No. 10: The Littlest Dwarf (1977)
Multi-part animated series about the gnome Vasya. He was so small that no one noticed him. Because of which the baby suffered a lot. The gnome's grandparents instruct him: you need to do something good to be noticed. And Vasya goes in search of good deeds.
In the cartoon, Snow White herself is mentioned, and the famous Little Red Riding Hood is also shown. Vasya dedicates one of his good deeds to this particular girl and her salvation, which becomes the next item on his list. The animated series has a total of 4 episodes, and in each episode Vasya helps everyone. Based on the book " Little gnome Vasya” by Mikhail Lipskerov.
No. 9: Bunny-Snobbish (1976)
A typical confrontation between the Fox and the Hare. IN Once again Trying to escape from the red-haired sly, the Hare meets a hunter in the forest and steals his gun. Real chaos begins: the cowardly Hare, having tasted power, calls himself the strongest animal in the forest. And to begin with, he settles in the Fox’s house, where has this been seen?
Particularly notable in the cartoon are the songs that come in short bursts, but quickly tell about the character. The cartoon proves that courage cannot be picked up so easily, it must be cultivated in oneself. And also, don’t take other people’s goods. Based on the play of the same name by Sergei Mikhalkov.
No. 8: Bosun and the Parrot (1982)
A wonderful animated series consisting of 5 issues. In the first episode, we are shown the boatswain Roma, who is pestered by his new parrot at night. And Roma predictably tries to get rid of the bird. Giving it to new owners time after time... Roma gets the bird back. It is not as easy as it seems to get rid of a parrot. Returning home once again, Roma also sees Rita at home, her new parrot friend. The boatswain resigns himself to his fate and the three of them continue to live together.
No. 7: The Wizard of Oz (1973)
Multi-part cartoon. The 10 episodes show the adventures of the girl Ellie, who finds herself in magical land. The entire series is dedicated to the journey of Ellie and her dog Totoshka, who meet both enemies and friends along the way. In the end, Ellie must return back to Kansas. The animated series is accompanied by cheerful music and simple but soulful songs. Based on the series of books “The Wizard of the Emerald City” by Alexander Volkov.
No. 6: The Little Goat Who Counted to Ten (1968)
Educational cartoon for the little ones. The snow-white kid learned to count to ten. And he began to count from himself, continuing to count with everyone around him. Counting, he says, is not at all difficult. Who knew that the usual process of learning to count could end in questionable reactions from other cattle. And an entertaining chase begins, the counting doesn’t end there. This cartoon clearly shows: learning is light, and ignorance is darkness. It is an adaptation of the book by Norwegian writer Alf Preusen.
No. 5: Losharik (1971)
A circus cartoon about a juggler who dreamed of becoming a trainer. One day, a real Losharik is formed from the balls. Together they become stars. The circus director decides that since the juggler was able to tame a strange animal like Losharik, he can cope with a lion and a tiger. The only problem is that the predators consider Losharik to be unreal and refuse to perform with him. A sad animal gives out its balloons to children who find themselves in the theater. The moral, in general, is elementary: everyone should be valued.
No. 4: The Wolf and the Calf (1984)
The wolf stole the calf, and he mistook him for his parent. The wolf is ashamed to eat a small child, and he begins to look after him: lull him, feed him and cherish him. The wolf becomes a real father who will bring milk and hay. And together he and the Calf roar over “Moo-moo.” Everyone thinks that the wolf is raising the calf for slaughter, but this is not so... The wolf fell in love with the calf as if it were his own. That's all. It is a pleasure to watch the beautiful transformation of the calf. He voiced the Wolf himself.
Source: Cartoons
No. 3: 38 Parrots (1976)
An animated series consisting of 10 episodes. The most amusing scenes from animal communication are familiar to many from childhood. In the opening sequence, the company is measuring a boa constrictor. First in parrots, then in monkeys, and finally in elephants. Unobtrusive and short episodes are full of dialogues that, willy-nilly, are remembered on long years. The cartoon will teach you to do everything Correctly with a capital letter. Let us remind you that the animated series was filmed according to the script of Grigory Oster. Yes, yes, the same one who wrote “Bad Advice” and more.
Puppet animation, thank the cinematic gods, is alive and well. At least, judging by the new films appearing at the box office - in 2012 alone, “Pirates! Band of Losers" and "ParaNorman", with a difference of a couple of months, and in a couple of months the premiere of Tim Burton's "Frankenwinnie" will take place.
This means that the form lives, breathes and develops - which cannot but rejoice. To further this joy, let's look at some recent examples of the creative use of stop motion animation that has given us wonderful films.
ParaNorman, or How to Train a Zombie
New greetings from the animation studio with the charming name Laika, which gave us Henry Selick. “ParaNorman,” although it is not based on the books of the wonderful storyteller Neil Gaiman, is made in a similar vein. This is wonderful in every way scary tale about a child’s meeting with the otherworldly, tender, touching, scary and Miyazak-style wise (and sometimes just as bitter) in matters of the real balance of the forces of good and evil in the relationship between the living and the dead. In other words, “ParaNorman” is a real modest diamond of this cinematic year, the kind of film that you always want to carry with you in your pocket closer to your heart.
The wonderful English studio “Aardman” does not live alone with Wallace and Gromit - their latest swim in the waters of full-length puppet animation together with a company of cheerful pirates turned out to be delightfully funny, terribly hooligan and infectiously cheerful. Plus, “Pirates” once again confirmed a long-known truth - that English humor is a very unique and terribly beautiful thing.
The debut entry of Wes Anderson, a clever man and a misanthrope, into stop-motion animation (based on the book by Roald Dahl) turned out to be almost his best film in his fifteen-year career. Life's twists and turns a sly fox with the voice of George Clooney, who had to simultaneously solve the problems of his neighborhood with three evil farmers, delve into the issues family life and raising children, as well as dealing with self-identity, gave Anderson plenty of opportunities to unfold his usual tragicomic drama (or dramatic comedy), executed in individual intonation - at the junction of a kind smile and almost elusive evil sarcasm. Well, “Mr. Fox” looked wonderful - bathed in an amazing amber-yellow light, which clearly made you want to settle in this wonderful puppet world forever.
The Australian answer to Chamberlain is a wonderful full-length cartoon by a man named Adam Elliot, a work with a very special intonation, at a complex intersection of macabre absurdity and the most tender family melodrama. "Mary and Max" - debut feature film Elliot; I'd like to think that this unpredictable and unafraid difficult topics The author will surprise and delight us all more than once.
Panic in the village
Greetings from Belgian animators, a movie about the adventures of a toy cowboy, an Indian and a horse, through whose efforts their entire toy village is turning heads. It is distinguished by a pleasant degree of general madness of what is happening - the word “panic” in the title perfectly conveys the feverish intonation of this rather crudely executed, but despite this (and perhaps because of this) irresistible work.
It is Puppet animation that makes you believe and immerse yourself, not just partly, but completely, in the world that you see in front of you. It’s simple, because what we see really exists, all these characters and models, they were created, which means they were born. Of course, there are a lot of cartoons created with the help of dolls, but only a few managed to go down in history as masterpieces, the worlds of which you really want to get into.
The nightmare before christmas
And we will begin our acquaintance with puppet projects immediately with the most popular cartoon. The Nightmare Before Christmas was directed by Tim Burton in his signature style. And thanks to his unique talent, the cartoon is filled with unimaginable charm. And thanks to those same dolls that designers have been making for dozens of days, we believe in what is happening on the screen. Burton takes us to unusual city called Halloween, and this is where our story takes place. It all begins after the end of this terrible holiday, ghouls, vampires, ghosts and other monsters receive a well-deserved reward from their favorite measure - Two-Face. But the Pumpkin Lord himself, Jack Skellington, is not very happy about what is happening around him. After hundreds of years of scaring children and adults, he got bored and wanted something new, something unusual, something that would bring a smile back to his pumpkin head. And wandering through the endless forest, Jack unexpectedly finds himself in a city called Christmas. And seeing what is happening there, he simply falls in love with this holiday. After which Jack gets the idea to arrange it himself. He begins to sew costumes, create toys and even replace Santa Claus himself.
Can you tell me what's so amazing about this? And the answer to this question will be the world itself in which this story takes place. Look at the scary Halloween weirdos from a different angle. After all, each of the characters, made by hand, will give you that same aesthetic pleasure. You will admire not only the heroes and characters of the picture, but also the scenery in which it all happens, and delight the eye with every movement of the next doll. And you can feel each of Jack’s emotions as if it were your own, because you know that the doll just acted it out especially for you, and this is not just another movement of the graphic designer’s mouse. The Nightmare Before Christmas is not just a cartoon, it is a masterpiece of puppet animation, after which even the air in your home will be filled with the atmosphere of the city
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjLvC3rqt6c
Coraline
The next project by director Henry Selick is no less iconic. Henry was able to do incredible things with seemingly ordinary dolls. Facial emotions, expressions of anger and even flows of rain and water will delight you every time, because all this is made by human hands. Main character history - Coraline, you will remember for a very long time, because she is so natural and alive that you will not even doubt the authenticity of her actions and desires. After watching Coraline in Nightmare, you won't think you've watched another one. good cartoon. You will feel like you have just been on an extraordinary journey. Every minute of the animation you will believe what is happening on the screen. After all, real world Coraline, and the parallel one, make you immerse yourself 100%.
Every time Coraline meets a new neighbor, you will do the same. It is just as interesting and scary for every viewer to travel through a portal into that world where there is a new mom and dad with button eyes. Is it worth it? Is he that good? You'll be asking yourself these questions, and suddenly you'll notice that Coraline is thinking the same thing. Try your luck while traveling with her and find out that everything is not as rosy as it seems at first glance. Coraline's story is not only interesting and fascinating. It will make you literally stick to the screen and not leave it until the very end. And even when the credits roll, you will want more, because all her neighbors, and Coraline herself, have become more than just cartoon characters for you. She is now your friend, her neighbors are now your neighbors, and when you have to close the tab with the cartoon, you will have the feeling that you are saying goodbye to someone close to you. That's exactly what animated dolls can do, and if you want a thrill and a sense of adventure, watch Coraline.
Frankenweenie
Another Tim Burton project made using stop motion technology. And this project of his became no less interesting. We all know worldwide famous story about Victor Frankenstein. Burton gives us the opportunity to look at her from a new angle. Now the center of events is in front of us a little boy Victor Frankenstein, who currently only goes to school. It so happened that he best friend is his dog named Sparky. During an accident, he dies under the wheels of a car. Victor does not want to put up with this loss, and using all his knowledge, he resurrects his dog. Others learn about his successful experiment, and the situation with the resurrection of animals gets out of control.
It doesn't look like much interesting story Truth? And there have been so many projects about Frankenstein that it’s not even interesting. But it’s the stop-motion animation that sets it apart from all the others. Now this is not just a scientist’s struggle with death, but the story of a boy who, because of strong love could not possible. This is where Burton shows us pure, unadulterated friendly feelings. We don't just watch a picture of a boy saving his dog. The dolls convey to us his zeal, his efforts and difficulties before he can resurrect Sparky. And, of course, there is a moment of joy when it works out. No animation can really show you this except stop-motion animation. While watching, I wanted Victor to succeed, and I was very worried when Sparky was not accepted as a resurrected dog. Victor, like Coraline, will become your friend, and together you will try to regain the friendship that was unjustly taken from him.
Corpse Bride
Again an amazing puppet animation cartoon and again Tim Burton. In his new project we dive back into unusual world, and now this is the world of the dead. The plot takes place in a European province, in the midst of victorian era. Victor and Victoria are about to get married, and they realize at first sight that they are made for each other. But during the wedding rehearsal, Victor confuses his words and runs away in shame into the forest. Having walked deep into the forest thicket, he was still able to pronounce his oath from beginning to end, and even pathetically put his bride’s ring on some kind of knot-like finger. But as it turned out, it was the finger of the dead bride, who came to life from Victor’s words and actions. Now they are bound by an oath, and Victor finds himself in the world of the dead, where everyone begins to prepare for his wedding with the Corpse Bride, who has her own story.
To say that the cartoon is filled with its own amazing charm is to say nothing. Tim Burton has outdone himself again and created new characters that, just like in Nightmare, are etched in your memory forever. Character design, especially those who live in world of the dead, dancing skeletons, a talking worm from the Bride's eye socket or a separate head of the bartender will definitely surprise you. Don't be alarmed, it just sounds bad. In fact, all the characters carry something special within themselves. You will be able to see that dozens of hands worked on each of them so that you can see this magic movement of the doll’s lips or eyelashes. Burton's characters truly act out the love, you can literally see it in the frame and fill your own heart with it. The Corpse Bride is not just another puppet animation, it is a story that these little puppet characters told each of us personally. And it seems that they specially came to life for this hour and a half in order to be able to reveal to us their secrets and stories that they had been silent about for many years.
Remembering the worst bummers of a Soviet child, I put Puppet cartoons in first place - when the long-awaited cartoon (underlined in the program with a red pen) in fact turned out to be “a wooden doll in the middle of artificial, sunless scenery.” I couldn't agree more with her. But were there really no good puppet cartoons in those days?
Were! And not only good ones, but even quotes.
First of all, what comes to mind in this regard is a series of cartoons about the brownie Kuzya. “I’m not greedy, I’m home-loving”, “Nafanya! The chest was stolen! With fairy tales!”, “Oh, trouble, trouble, disappointment”, “From an early age I didn’t eat enough, slept without millet... In general, I didn’t get enough sleep ", "Where I want, I fly there! Where do I fly?!", and so on.
Next, I would like to recall a series of cartoons about the crocodile Gena and Cheburashka. Actually, Cheburashka generally became almost a symbol of Soviet animation. Well, my favorite quotes: “Whoever helps people is just wasting their time. Ha ha! Good deeds You can’t become famous!”, “We built and built and finally built. Hurray!”, “Listen, Gena, let me carry the things, and you take me?”, “I’ll show them how to offend Cheburashkas!”
You can say that the success of these cartoons was due to good literary basis. But “The Adventures of Dunno” and “The Wizard of the Emerald City” also had a good basis, but the puppet cartoons “didn’t work”
The third series of puppet cartoons that even children liked - a cycle about the funny relationships between four animals - Monkey, Elephant, Parrot and Boa. “I have a thought, and I’m thinking it!”, “Come on! Let’s ask me!”, “I don’t want to be, excuse me, for example,” “We won’t say who, although it was a baby elephant”
Another series of puppet cartoons that did not cause disgust in childhood - about a forest boy named Uncle Au - “Kuk-ku”, “kuk-ku”... Kukareku! I’m bored... Without you, I know that it’s time to go to work..."
You can also remember two cartoons about Little Imp No. 13 - “Love yourself, sneeze on everyone! And success awaits you in life!”
This applies to animated series. And there were also some good single puppet cartoons - “The Wolf and the Calf” (“Children need cleanliness!.. Children, they cannot grow up in dirt”, “Well, that’s it, otherwise “mom, mom”!”),
“Mitten” (no quotes here - there is not a single word in the cartoon),
"The little goat who counted to ten" ("Well... Now he counted you too!..")
I may have missed something, but by and large, these are rather exceptions to the rule - we didn’t like puppet cartoons as children. But these examples suggest that the point is not that they are dolls, but in the attitude of the creators towards these very dolls. If you set out to make a good cartoon, these examples show that it was possible. But, it seems that the overwhelming majority of animators-puppeteers played with dolls themselves, for their own pleasure, without really thinking about the final result
Sources
All videos taken from www.youtube.com
Puppets are the oldest animation technique, and although there were periods when the popularity of puppet cartoons waned, the tradition was never completely interrupted. Arzamas collected not the most famous, but important works over the past half century
"Little Frog is Looking for Dad"
Director Roman Kachanov, 1964
One little frog didn't have a dad, and he was very sad. So much so that he went looking for him. This seemingly simple film is used to teach dramaturgy to students at animation schools. The legendary Roman Kachanov is one of the creators of puppet animation in our country. It was he who made both “Mitten” and “Cheburashka” (the artist on these two cartoons was Leonid Shvartsman).
"My green crocodile"
Director Vadim Kurchevsky, 1966
“All the crocodiles were like crocodiles, but this crocodile was somehow strange...” A poetic movie about love based on the script by Genrikh Sapgir and Gennady Tsyferov, in which Yuri Norshtein worked as an animator, and Alina Speshneva worked as an artist. Vadim Kurchevsky - animated film director, book illustrator, screenwriter, production designer, TV presenter, art teacher and set designer for children's plays.
"Clew"
Director Nikolay Serebryakov, 1968
A very sad story about how important it is to stop in time, told with the help of dolls and yarn. Nikolay Serebryakov - Soviet and Russian director animated films; his most famous works- “I want to be brave” and “Gilded foreheads.”
"The Little Goat Who Counted to Ten"
Director Vladimir Degtyarev, 1968
One day the little goat learned to count. But not everyone in the forest liked it. Vladimir Degtyarev is a legend of puppet animation. This film adaptation of a fairy tale by Norwegian writer Alf Preusen is one of his most famous cartoons for children.
"Moomintroll and others"
Directed by Aida Zyablikova, 1978
The first of three cartoons about the Moomins. Director Aida Zyablikova is a classic of puppet animation. It was she who filmed Tatyana Alexandrova’s fairy tale “Kuzya the Brownie.” The composer of the cartoon is Alexey Rybnikov, and the lyrics for the songs were written by Lyudmila Petrushevskaya. The cartoon was voiced by Zinovy Gerdt and Olga Gobzeva.
“Moomintroll and the Comet”, “Moomintroll and the Comet. The way home"
Directed by Nina Shorina, 1978
The director of the second and third series about the Moomins was Nina Shorina, and the artist was Lyudmila Tanasenko (she was also an artist famous films“Last year’s snow fell”, “ A big secret for a small company”, “The boy walked, the owl flew”), etc. These episodes were also voiced by Zinovy Gerdt and Olga Gobzeva.
"New Year's Adventure"
Directed by Julian Kalisher, 1980
A New Year's movie about how Papa Man and Papa Bear forgot to buy Christmas trees and are trying to fix it. The Soviet fairy who helps the heroes is especially good. Julian Kalisher directed a lot of musical cartoons, for example “A Big Secret for a Small Company” or “Who Are the Birds.” "New Year's Adventure" also has a funny song.
"Hedgehog plus turtle"
Director Ivan Ufimtsev, 1981
A film by one of the classics of puppet animation - Ivan Ufimtsev, creator of “38 Parrots” and “Losharik”. This film adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's tale "Where the Armadillos Come From" begins with the song "On the Distant Amazon" performed by Tatyana and Sergei Nikitin. The roles were voiced by Oleg Tabakov, Vsevolod Larionov, Nadezhda Rumyantseva and Tatyana Peltzer.
"Little Imp No. 13"
Directed by Nathan Lerner, 1982
It’s an important day at school for devils: in class they study the question “Who should the devil love?” Of course, yourself! But main character I don't agree. A witty and gentle cartoon by Nathan Lerner, to whom we also owe the animated images of Baron Munchausen and the Fleeing Mook.
"Vrednyuga"
Director Yuri Trofimov, 1987
Yuri Trofimov has several cartoons based on fairy tales by the English writer Donald Bisset. In this episode, Drakosha and his friends fight the insidious Vrednyuga, who wants to steal the rainbow. Script by Vadim Kurchevsky, text from the author read by Alexey Batalov.
"Amorous Crow"
Directed by Maria Muat, 1988
One day a crow fell in love with a sideways hare. And then a fox, and then a wolf, and then... You can’t order your heart! A touching and absurd cartoon about love based on a script by Irina Margolina with memorable characters performed by Georgy Burkov, Roman Filippov and Larisa Udovichenko. Maria Muat is a student of Sergei Obraztsov, a leading director of modern puppet animation.