Yuri Norstein

Yuri Nornstein (Yuriy Norshteyn) is a Russian stop motion animator most well known for his works Hedgehog in the Fog (1975) and Tale of Tales (1979). He animates by using paper cutouts on stacked planes of glass (similar to what we were thinking of using for the videogame UI segments in our stop-motion project A New Game) to achieve a 3D effect.


Still from Hedgehog in the Fog

Still from Tale of Tales

Tale of Tales (1979) review

The Tale of Tales is a series of story snippets told in no particular chronological order, with details about Russia's involvement in the Second World War. The film seems to focus more on the effects of the draft and casualties of the war on those left behind (the women and children). Throughout the film, a recurring character is a small wolf, introduced in the form of a lullaby sung to children saying that the wolf will snatch them up.

The film seems to be heavy with symbolism, such as the green apple and the wolf, which unfortunately goes over my head as I am not Russian, nor overly familiar with its involvement in World War 2. In terms of animation quality, the film is a beautiful piece of work, where the cut-out technique is used to generate a 3D effect in a beautiful and seamless fashion.

The Fox and Rabbit (1973) review

The Fox and the Rabbit is an animation based on a folk tale about a rabbit who is kicked out of his house by an ill-tempered fox. The rabbit then seeks the help of some of the more fearsome animals around the forest such as a wolf, a bear and a bull, all of which get chased off by the fox. The rabbit finally gets the fox out of the house by enlisting the help of a militaristic rooster, and the film ends with the rabbit and the rooster living peacefully in the rabbits house.

I enjoyed this film because the interactions between the ill-tempered fox and the other characters  as well as the final fight scene between the rooster, the rabbit and the fox were hilarious and entertaining to watch.