Goat Story

Goat Story – The Old Prague Legends (Kozí příběh - pověsti staré Prahy) is a 2008 Czech animated fantasy comedy film produced and directed by Jan Tománek and written by Tománek with David Sláma. The first Czech-produced feature-length computer-animated film, it features animation by Art And Animation studios, and was released 19 May 2010 in the USA.

The film features the voices of Jiří Lábus, Matěj Hádek, Mahulena Bočanová, Michal Dlouhý, Petr Pelzer, Jan Přeučil, Viktor Preiss, Miroslav Táborský, Karel Heřmánek, Petr Nárožný, Dalimil Klapka, Pavel Rímský, Ota Jirák, Filip Jevič and Justin Svoboda. Produced over the course of five years with a budget of $1.8 million, only about ten animators and 3D graphic designers created it.

Goat Story was released in theatres on 16 October 2008 by Bontonfilm, and it won the main prize at the 2010 Buenos Aires International Children's Film Festival, and received nominations at other film festivals. A sequel, Goat Story 2, was released in 2012.

Plot
The story takes place in Prague during the reign of Charles IV, when the Charles Bridge and Prague Astronomical Clock were still undergoing construction. A villager named Jemmy arrives in the capital from the countryside with his Goat. A poor student named Matthew arrives Prague to study with Master Hanuš.

Jemmy and Goat stay in Prague to do work on the bridge. It is here that Jemmy meets Katie for the first time, and immediately falls in love with her. Katie is a city girl who supplies forged nails for the bridge's construction. Jemmy ends up causing the scaffolding on a side of the bridge to fall due to his carving of a statue of Katie from a support beam. He and his goat are banned by the workers.

In the meantime, Master Hanuš looks for sculptors and carvers for the Astronomical Clock statues. He catches a glimpse of Jemmy, and is interested with his natural woodcarving talent. Matthew, being the target of ridicule by other students because of his poverty, studies with Master Hanuš, too. He has gained his teacher's trust, and oversees the plans of the Astronomical Clock. Since Matthew has nowhere to sleep, he finds the Faust House (Prague) in Prague, already abandoned at the time.

Thanks to his classmates' frequent ridicule, he succumbs to the lure and then picks up a grey tolar in Faust's house to pay for his classmates' drinks and fit in with his peers. However, they deceive him and destroy the plans to the Astronomical Clock while they are unguarded. The unsuspecting Matthew gives the ruined plans back to Master Hanuš. The Prague councilors discover the damaged plans, and demand punishment of the problem. Matthew is placed in a pillory for one day. Because he never knows what he did wrong, he plans to take revenge on Master Hanuš. When Master Hanuš and Jemmy complete the Astronomical Clock, they get no respect or recognition.

The Chinese ask Master Hanuš to make an astronomical clock in their city, too. Matthew glimpses this discussion, who meanwhile signed his contract with Satan.

He writes a letter to Prague councilors explaining to them that Hanuš is a traitor. The mayor entrusts the executioner of Mydlář to cut out Hanuš's eyes. Hanuš wants to take revenge for this violence, and ruins his own astronomical clock by sabotaging the gears. Jemmy, as his assistant, is commissioned to fix the astronomical clock under Katie's threat being executed if he fails to do so in time. Jemmy fixes the astronomical clock at the last minute but arrives at the gallows too late, and Katie has been hanged already.

Jemmy is at a church praying to God to give Katie back to him. It is at that moment that Katie comes into the church. Later, it is revealed that Jemmy's goat disguised herself as Katie, and was hanged in her place. As the goat falls from the gallows, it is revealed that she had an iron tube in her throat the whole time, and it meant her neck was never snapped and survived the hanging.

Voice cast

 * Jiří Lábus as Goat
 * Matěj Hádek / Mike Buffo (English version) as Jemmy
 * Mahulena Bočanová / Jo-Anne Krupa (English version) as Katie
 * Michal Dlouhý as Matthew
 * Petr Pelzer as Master Hanuš
 * Jan Přeučil as Purkmistr
 * Viktor Preiss as Konšel
 * Miroslav Táborský as Priest Ignác
 * Karel Heřmánek as Devil / Leader
 * Petr Nárožný as Beggar
 * Dalimil Klapka as Beggar
 * Pavel Rímský as Beggar
 * Ota Jirák as Taverner
 * Filip Jevič as Student
 * Justin Svoboda as Student
 * Luba Goy as Cořum (English version)

Production


Production started in 2003 at Jan Tománek's family Art And Animation studio. Jan Tománek along with David Sláma co-wrote the script for the film. The film budget was just $1.8 million for release in 2008.

Czech actors were: Jiří Lábus, Matěj Hádek, Mahulena Bočanová, Michal Dlouhý, Petr Pelzer, Jan Přeučil, Viktor Preiss, Miroslav Táborský, Karel Heřmánek, Petr Nárožný, Dalimil Klapka, Pavel Rímský, Ota Jirák, Filip Jevič and Justin Svoboda.

David Solař wrote the music for the film. Development, animation, lighting, color and storyboarding of the film was done in Prague, Czech Republic. The Czech distributor was Bontonfilm.

Mike Buffo and Jo-Anne Krupa joined the cast on 9 July to supply the voices Jemmy and Katy in the English version which was produced by Karl Hirsh in 2008. The US sales agent was Phase 4 Films, headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, but all of the rights are now owned by Art And Animation studio.

Release
Goat Story received a theatrical release on 16 October 2008 by Bontonfilm.

Marketing
The film appeared on the cover of the March 2008 edition of American publication Animation.

Home media
The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 10 April 2009 by Bontonfilm.

In 2015, the producers uploaded both Goat Story and its sequel on YouTube.

Box office
The film grossed $1.3 million in the Czech Republic. With admission 350.000 just in the Czech Republic it became the most successful Czech animated film of all time.

Sequel
A sequel, Goat Story 2, was released in 2012.