On New Year's Day my local PBS station showed the stop-animation (also known as model animation) film Peter and the Wolf and I had the pleasure of watching it in HD. Wow!
And then I discovered that it has a Scandinavian connection. The special effects shots in the film were done by Storm Studio, based in Oslo, Norway.
The film is based on the story of Peter and the Wolf and set to the music Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev. The film has no vocals but tells the story solely with music and action.
The film was a multinational production. The main producers were UK production company BreakThru Films, and the co-producers were Se-ma-for Studios in Łódź, Poland and Storm Studio, which did all the special effects shots.
And it was a successful combination.
Peter and the Wolf has won several awards, including the Academy Award (the 'Oscar') in 2008 for best Short Film (Animated), a British Animation Award (BAA) in 2008 for Best TV Special, the Grand Prize ('The Annecy Cristal') and the Audience Award at the 2007 Annecy International Animation Festival, the Golden Rose for Performing Arts at the 2007 Rose d'Or Festival, the Pulcinella Award for Best European Programme at the 2007 Cartoons on the Bay Festival in Italy and the Special Prize at the 2007 Krok International Animated Film Festival in the Ukraine. It was also nominated for a BAFTA, a Royal Television Society Programme Award and the Cartoon D'Or in 2007.
It's a delightful film.
