What happens when a gigantic wolf and a little girl meet? The almost 8 minute 2D animated movie „Moroshka“ by Polina Minchenok tells the story of what seems to be an impossible friendship. It was produced in 2015 by the famous Moscow studio Sojusmultfilm.
The film takes place in a little village nearby the forest. At the beginning we see a group of girls playing blind man's buff, but they don’t stay alone for long, as a few meters high wolf jumps past them, aiming for the herd of sheep close by. All the girls run away terrified, except Moroshka who is still blindfolded from playing before. She walks right into the wolf’s leg but instead of getting scared, when taking off her blindfold, she is delighted and pets it. The noise of the shepherd’s shotgun scares the wolf and it flees back into the forest.
Sometime later, Moroshka finds the wolf in her barn. Its paw is injured and it is hiding from the villagers hunting it. Moroshka starts caring for it, feeding it regularly and protecting it from the cold until its wound is mended. But eventually the villagers get suspicious of the girl’s behaviour.
The only one who isn’t afraid of the „big bad wolf“ is the little girl Moroshka who petted it before she saw it. Everyone else panics just when looking at the beast, trying to flee or shoot it. But Moroshka got to know it from another side. In the time the wolf spends in Moroshka’s barn, she even manages to make it leave her two sheep in peace and they become close friends.
Stylistically the shapes of the figures and objects are kept simplified but there still is a distinct love for details to be found. They are drawn detailed enough to understand the action without a spoken word and dive into the atmosphere, yet there are no scenes that are overloaded with unnecessities. Even though the pictures are drawn digitally, they rather remind of acrylic painting, which reinforces the fairytale ambience.
Another important element is the music of Zakhar Atonov. Firstly it supports the atmosphere of the images. From the happy montage in which Moroshka takes care of the wolf, to the quiet onset of winter. Secondly hand the music sometimes replaces sound effects. Those are usually skillfully integrated into the soundtrack to not disrupt the flow of the tale.
The film got me to smile, listen up and dream. In addition to the to the animating style, which appeals to me a lot, I especially like how the story works without a single spoken word. The image and sound composition is strong enough to function without narration. Showing the contrast between the small girl and the giant wolf is often achieved by showing Moroshka entirely but only parts of the wolf. The wolf’s size isn’t held consistently throughout the whole movie but since this isn’t important for the course of the story, this is not an issue.
Moroshka is a movie for all ages that leaves a warm, comfortable feeling. However it also brings one to reflect about prejudice, about how fast we assume someone’s personality when looking at their appearance. Because sometimes, behind the scary facade, we find someone who is just misunderstood.
