Peter & the Wolf

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 film earned the Oscar it got. Some very excellent traditional stop motion animation, combined with modern editing techniques.

The story is placed in a more modern world and given some new twists. A modern but deteriorating Russia set against an almost primal wilderness. The main character, Peter, has lost his Disney-like cuteness. And that's a good thing! He's a more streetwise but daydreaming Peter. Tough but lonely. The animation on the characters is simply superb. They even animated the fur of the wolf and cat!

Go see this animation as well as Dog, another one of Suzie Templeton's great little shorts.

I saw this film almost by accident, and I am very grateful. Everything to the last detail is meticulously cared for. The puppets are incredibly detailed, the animation perfectly done, the lighting excellent and the acting superb. But most of all, the story... this story has a little but very meaningful twist at the end and still manages to be true to the original. Disney's Peter and the Wolf may be cute and charming, but lacks the depth of this masterpiece. Tempelton's Peter has some strong personality and penetrating eyes. Some people might find it slow, but only if they want to watch everything move at the pace of Fairly Odd Parents. I'm glad I lived to see this work and I hope many people has the opportunity and disposition to watch this.

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.

Peter and the Wolf is one of Prokoviev's best and most accessible works, one of my first introductions to classical music as well. This animated short film is just outstanding(even better than Disney's version and the excellent ballet production with if memory serves correct Anthony Dowell as the grandfather), highly acclaimed and wholly deserving of it. The animation is great, very professional and detailed if not quite as refined as other animations seen. The atmosphere it evokes too is naturalistic, charming, sinister(but not too scary) and very Russian. The characters are modelled very well, standouts being the cat and the wolf. Prokoviev's music is fantastic as expected, the orchestra perform it beautifully and bring out the different personalities of their characters through the different instruments very successfully. The strings and horns are particularly good. The story has been tinkered a little, but the spirit is there as are the basic details, and it's still engaging and touching. The characters are very well-defined, Peter's a likable hero and the wolf is a very scary nemesis. In conclusion, an outstanding short film. 10/10 Bethany Cox