Hedgehog in the Fog

Hedgehog in the Fog (Ёжик в тума́не) is a 1975 Soviet animated film directed by Yuri Norstein and produced by the Soyuzmultfilm studio in Moscow. The Russian script was written by Sergei Grigoryevich Kozlov, who also published a book under the same name.

In 2006, Norstein published a book titled Hedgehog in the Fog, listing himself as an author alongside Kozlov.

Plot
The Hedgehog (voiced by Maria Vinogradova) goes to visit his friend the Bear Cub to drink tea with raspberry jam and count the stars. The road along which the Hedgehog moves passes through deserted fields and forest thickets. In the early evening fog, the world seems mysterious, and outlandish images appear before the Hedgehog every now and then. Among them is an eagle-owl looking into a well, a snail suddenly turning into an elephant, a bat with a frightening wingspan, and a dog returning the bundle of jam to the Hedgehog when he loses it. Hedgehog is particularly impressed by a white horse, whose blurred silhouette appears several times in the haze.

Through the fog, the voice of the Bear Cub is periodically heard calling out to the Hedgehog. Hurrying to answer the call, the hero falls into the river. His savior is a mysterious “someone” who takes the Hedgehog to the shore. Having finally arrived at the Bear Cub’s house, Hedgehog listens to his friend (voiced by Vyacheslav Nevinny), who says that he has already blown up the samovar on the porch for evening tea, collected juniper branches “so that there is smoke”, and moved the wicker chairs to be more comfortable. He remarks that the Hedgehog is the only one he can really count the stars with.

Awards

 * 1976—Frunze All-Union Film Festival: Hedgehog in the Fog "best animated film"
 * 1976—Tehran Children's and Youth Film Festival: Hedgehog in the Fog "best animated film"
 * 2003—Tokyo All time animation best 150 in Japan and Worldwide: Hedgehog in the Fog "№1 Animated film of all the time"

Production
The fog effects were created by putting a very thin piece of paper on top of the scene and slowly lifting it up toward the camera frame-by-frame until everything behind it became blurry and white.

Role in Soviet animation
Soviet-era children's animation and literature was faced with the task of producing politically acceptable content. Anthropologist Serguei Oushakine (Sergey Ushakin) recognizes this atmosphere of indefinite deferment in the animation, stating: "The main thing is the work of imagination, or more precisely, the terror and pleasure with which it is linked. The final scene of pleasure, to which these various phantasmal and/or realistic experiences should indeed have led, is not included in the plot." This is evident through the hedgehog's anxiety and fixation on the horse, even after he succeeds in meeting the bear for tea.

Legacy
An English Dub of the film was made for Channel 4 in the United Kingdom for Christmas in 1998. Few changes were made, with strawberry-jam replacing raspberry-jam.

Hedgehog in the Fog was ranked in a poll at the 2003 Laputa Animation Festival where 140 animators from around the world voted for the best animated films of all time.

Hayao Miyazaki, acclaimed animator of Studio Ghibli stated that he drew his inspiration from many animators including Yuri Norstein.

Since January 2009, the main character (the Hedgehog) from the movie has a statue in the city center of the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv.

The film was spoofed in the third episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy, "Spies Reminiscent of Us", in 2009.

The opening ceremonies for the 2014 Winter Olympics referenced this work, mentioning it in a list of signature Russian accomplishments and artists, including Fyodor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, and Sputnik.

The series Kikoriki has an episode called Chiko in the Fog, reminiscent of Nornstein's cartoon in its composition and style.

The 16th episode of Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon – Ultra Legends, "Memories in the Mist!" is inspired by this work.

The Cartoon Network Studios' series Summer Camp Island has an episode called "Pepper and the Fog", which is a tribute to the film.