A stunning visual art, puppet animation perfectly in tune with the score composed by Sergei Prokofiev. The Polish-British co-production was awarded the 2007 Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.
The film was produced in a classic stop-motion animation technique, and is an adaptation of the musical tale by Sergei Prokofiev of the same title from 1936. Amid the many film adaptations of the work by the Russian ballet composer, the work by director Suzie Templeton's distinguishes itself by its elaborate set design and finely-crafted animated puppets. It also makes full use of the detailed stop-motion puppets, dramatising the complicated relationship of the main characters and the depth of their experiences, which eventually leads to an inner transformation.
Photography for "Peter and the Wolf" was created in the Se-ma-for animation film studio in Łódź - just like the vast majority of work associated with digital post-production in Poland – and within the halls of the Łódź Film Center, where the set design was prepared. With a budget totaling five million US Dollars, this was the most expensive Polish co-production animation film in years.
Suzie Templeton made the decision to cooperate with the Se-ma-for after being captivated by Marek Skrobecki's "Ichthys". About 150 people worked on the Oscar-winning "Peter and the Wolf". Principal photography lasted eight months, and was preceded by three years of preparatory work, including the creation of elaborate, highly labour-intensive puppet building and staging. This was followed by a whole year of post-production. The film set was designed and built on a grand scale (it measured 170 square metres), and was elaborately decorated in every detail. The set designers – Marek Skrobecki and Jane Morton – created such a set including a thousand forest trees, shrubs, grasses and stones, made of natural materials; which stood on an area measuring 22 by 16 meters. The puppets themselves were also reduced in scale, with hands and faces made out of silicone, which allowed for a natural effect of the skin and strands of hair were individually planted using tweezers.
The opening scene of "Peter and the Wolf", is an overture, introducing the viewer into the atmosphere and theme of the film. It portrays a small, wooden house in a forest, surrounded by a high fence and completely covered in snow following a blizzard. In the background, one can hear the howling of wolves, which are being observed by a grey-haired man with a shotgun. Inside, looking through the window, is Peter, a sad, young boy. In those first frames, we also get to know the other title character. In contrast to humans, with Peter closed behind the fence and carefully guarded by his grandfather, the Wolf wanders freely in the wilderness.
People in a nearby town also pose a danger for the boy. Peter only befriends a lonely goose and a bird with a wounded wing. His desire is to discover the intriguing world behind the high fence, while he spies this seemingly alien world through the small holes in the fence. One day he steals the key to the gate and he and his friends leave the safety of the house, where they spend some lovely time skating on the frozen lake.
His angry Grandpa takes Peter back home. The boy leaves his friends by the lake, and looks at them with longing through a locked gate. Shortly, he sees the wolf, but fails to break the geese free from his clutches. Overcome with pain and rage, the boy decides to confront his formidable opponent – after many attempts he manages to capture the Wolf in a trap. Following the capture, Peter's face is bloody with the claw marks of the great predator. He, however, does not allow his grandfather to kill the animal, and they decide to sell it at the circus. When the grandfather does not reach a deal with the circus owner, Peter notices a number of hunters who had previously treated him badly. The boy matures and takes a most unexpected decision. He is no longer a shy, frightened boy who was once ridiculed by his peers. He opens the cage door and exchanges glances with the wolf. The two escape through the throng to return to the forest and to freedom.
The narrative is moved along by means of music and imagery alone, which prove to be an extremely effective means of drama, engaging the viewer in a fairy-tale world of a boy maturing under the influence of his relationship with others around him, as well as the dramatic events which he is involved in. The movements, narrative and actions of various scenes are perfectly synchronised with the sounds from Prokofiev's ballet, in a colourful interpretation performed by the UK-based Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Mark Stephenson.
The music is dispensed in moderation, however - moments of silence, broken murmurs and animal sounds also create moments of tension, anxiety, or set a neutral background for the action. This beautiful musical passages are supported by the sounds by the Russian composer, with pronounced solos for the corresponding characters in the film. The artistic layer is clearly visible through handwritten character sets, and even the rough computer graphics within the film. The puppets are realistically handled – a task overseen by head puppeteer Adam Wyrwas – "acting" with gestures, movements and facial expressions. Of particular note is Peter's face and torso. Endowed with expressive blue eyes, the boy puppet comes alive with an expressive gaze. Eyes sometimes glazed with tears set on a face which reflects a whole range of emotions – from fear, sadness, anger, pride, anxiety and joy.
The endearing fairy-tale atmosphere also brings to the table rich interpretive possibilities. It is also a story of maturity and transformation of character, strength, friendship and respect for the natural world. The story is equally psychoanalytic, with the Jungian spirit of the parable based on the varied elements of human personality, including Primary and Wild forces, and the road leading to their discovery and acceptance.
Such is the strength which Peter finds in the final scene of the film, but before such a change can occur, the boy must traverse the path of life, full of pain and disappointment. Fascinated by the world on the other side of the solid fence, despite being prohibited to do so, Peter would like to taste freedom. Shortly he realises that the freedom he has long dreamt about is bittersweet.
However, thanks to the painful experiences which trigger the anger within him, as well as a willingness to act, the shy and confused Peter survives his metamorphosis. The next time he walks in the town square, he is no longer the laughing stock of the countless children and others. This time, walking with a sure step, he gains the approval of his peers. The tamed beast, which the boy releases in the final scene, returns to the forest. For Peter, however, the relationship established with the Wolf – or a wild part of his nature – remain one of the most significant experiences of his life.
"Peter and the Wolf", Poland, United Kingdom, 2006. Adapted and directed by Suzie Templeton, Cinematography: Hugh Gordon, Mikołaj Jaroszewicz, Production design: Marek Skrobecki, Jane Morton; Lead animator: Adam Wyrwas; Screenplay: Suzie Templeton, Marianela Maldonado, Music: Sergei Prokofiev; Played by: Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Mark Stephenson; Production: Breakthtru Films, Se-ma-for Film Production; Co-production: Channel Four Television, Storm Studios. Duration: 32 minutes.
Awards:
- The Annecy Cristal, Grand Prix, International Animation Film Festival, Annecy 2007;
- Audience Award, the International Animated Film Festival, Audience Award, Annecy 2007;
- Srebrna Kreska award for the best film for children, National Festival of Animated Auteur Films OFAFA in Kraków, 2007;
- Oscar - Award of the American Academy of Arts Award for the best short animated film in 2007, Los Angeles.
Author: Iwona Hałgas, June 2011. Translated by Roberto Galea, November 2011