This modern adaptation of Sergei Prokofiev's musical created using details puppets captures the perfect tone for the famed work, mixing heart with darkness. This tale has been done in animation before, but it has always been softened for the smaller tykes in the audience. Director Suzie Templeton respectfully keeps true to the original, making the difficult life lessons that the title character learns all the more complex and powerful.
Peter is a sad young man, who lives in a makeshift fortress on the outskirts of a rundown city in Russia. His paranoid grandfather has them walled off from the forest, forbidding the boy from playing near the frozen lake behind their home. Peter's only friend is a goose, and during a trip to town, he is bullied by a duo of hunters. Upon his return home, Peter encounters a crow that has a bum wing and wants to use the boy's balloon to get a little lift. This leads to Peter and the goose making it to the other side of the fence and getting a chance to have some fun. However, a hungry wolf has other plans for Peter and his feathered friends.
Co-produced by BreakThru Films in London and the Se-Ma-For studio in Poland, the design of the world is intense. At first Peter's leather cap pulled tightly over his head makes the boy look meek, but when the cap comes off Peter's wild jet black hair and piercing blue eyes underline the boy's determination to no longer be the victim anymore. Peter's grandfather's withered hands covered in thick veins help define his character. Without any dialogue, the look of the puppets speaks volumes about what the characters are thinking and how they feel. Prokofiev's music was newly recorded by the London Philharmonic for the film, reminding us how wonderful the score is when used in the proper context.
"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" is a good moral to live by, but it's not always easy to follow through with in every situation. Like the harshest lessons we learn in life, this film will leave you haunted.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
