Hedgehog in the fog – Ёжик в тумане

The following animation Ёжик в тумане (Hedgehog in the fog) tells the story of a nice little hedgehog who leaves his house to meet his friend the bear cub on the other side of the forest. Together they will drink tea, eat raspberry jam, watch the sky and count the stars. Like every other night. But tonight, something will happen to the hedgehog, he will get lost in the fog and will discover a unknown world, filled with familiar yet strange creatures, some scary, other friendly and kind in this eerie atmosphere.

The Director

“Hedgehog in the fog” was created in 1975 by one of the greatest directors of animation Юрий Норштейн (Yuriy Norshteyn) and produced by the Soyuzmultfilm studios. The film won many awards at home and abroad, including the N°1 animated film of all time in Tokyo in 2003.

Norshteyn created the fog by using a thin piece of paper on top of the scene and lifting it up slowly toward the camera. This effect gives a soft, surreal and melancholic atmosphere to the film.

The Story

The narrator starts his tale by introducing the situation: “По вечерам Ёжик ходил к Медвежонку считать звезды. Они усаживались на брёвнышке и, прихлёбывая чай, смотрели на звёздное небо. Оно висело над крышей – прямо за печной трубой. Справа от трубы были звёзды Медвежонка, а слева – Ёжика.” (In the evenings, Hedgehog went to the Bear cub to count stars. They would sit on a log and drink tea, gazing at the starry sky. It hung over the roof, just behind the chimney. To the right of the chimney were the bear cub’s stars, to the left the hedgehog’s ones.)

Suddenly the Hedgehog falls in the river: “Я в реке, пускай река сама несёт меня.” (I’m in the river, let the river carry me along.)

And our little hedgehog last thought: Медвежонок говорил, говорил, а Ёжик думал: “Всё-таки хорошо, что мы снова вместе.” И ещё Ёжик думал о Лошади: “Как она там, в тумане?…” (The Bear cub was talking and talking, and Hedgehog was thinking: “It’s wonderful that we are together again.” And also he thought about the horse: “ How is she, there in the fog?“…)

The Animation Video