Ginger's Tale

Vverh animation studio teamed up to present their next feature film after their release of the 2017 animated film The Tale of Peter and Fevronia.[1] The scriptwriters intended the film to be a new fairy tale that features the centerpiece character, Ginger who is a young girl with red hair with a sincere heart.[2] The original story explored the main motif of selfless love through the main character Ginger. The film juxtaposed the themes of the triumph of actions done by the deeds of the heart and its sacrifices in relation to arrogance and avarice. The script also brings to attention the theme of how honesty, love, and work is more expensive than any money.[2] The scriptwriters described the conflict by presenting the effects of a magical artifact, the Stone Of Fire. The script resolves the conflict caused by the artifact by describing the love and friendship between two unlikely friends, Potter and Ginger.[3]

The idea of the story started when the team at a meeting decided to make a story about love. However, there was a bag of money nearby. Therefore they decided the story to revolve around the concept of love and money. As they wrote the script, a copy of an 1835 Fairy Tales Told for Children. First Collection was nearby and it reminded them of how their script had parallels to the stories of Danish storyteller Hans Christian Andersen.[4] The scriptwriters were known to be Andersen fairy tale readers and they believed Andersen's fairy tale The Tinderbox would be an apt reference point for the script. The writers were able to reference pertinent details of The Tinderbox such as the magical artifact protected by guard dogs.[5] Overall, the script was built on presenting a new fairy tale to the modern generation emphasizing the ageless morality that is present in such stories.[6] The creators intended the film to be an appealing film filled with bright memorable characters.[1] They also focused on making the characters inspirational to the audience.[4]

The direction was greatly inspired by the Soviet Union director Georgiy Daneliya. Director Konstantin Shchekin explains, the climax of the script required the most focus. The creators took special care in resolving the character Potter's peripeteia caused by the effects of the Stone of Fire.[1]

At the May 2019 Multimir (Мультимир) animation and entertainment festival, a teaser for the film was presented by Sergey Burunov, Edgar Zapashny, Alexander Oleshko, and other actors who voiced the cartoon.[7] In 9 June 2020, the official trailer for Ginger's Tale was released.[8]

Vverh studio decided to choose their favorite technology-traditional animation for the film.[6] The animators harnessed their specialization in 2D animation through the depiction of the characters.[4] The leading 2D animators from Russia were bought in to draw the canvas of the film.[1] Ginger's Tale differs from other animation films by its use of the "conveyor" system. This technique assigns small details of the animation frames to members of different art groups. A characteristic feature of this design is the multi-layered background design that requires special care.[6] The animation team with this technique bought out the different hues and shades of the story. The drawings also embedded steampunk elements that revolved around the inventions of the eccentric inventor character Oops.[5] The two departments of background design and personal character drawings interacted with each other to bring to life the array of characters in the film.[1]

Highlights of the film are song dances of the characters animated under the direction of theater choreographer Irina Kashuba.[9] The creators intended to emphasize the originality and uniqueness of the characters in the film. Therefore, they presented the characters dancing to the soundtrack. The animation at this stage was drawn by transferring the movements of real dancers to the movements of drawn characters.[10] The animated film employed frame-by-frame drawings by hand using the methods of classical Soviet animation.[11]

Production designer Vasily Krasnikov says, "The range of animator tasks is quite large. This is an expressive drawing and a sense of movement, an understanding of the composition of the frame and the laws of editing, acting and directing skills. Like any artist, an animator needs to develop observation skills, notice interesting scenes in life, draw characteristic poses and emotions."[11] Producer Yuri Ryazanov believes there must be active investment for traditional animation in order for the technique to survive in the future.[1]

The soundtrack presents four songs and a score by composer Arthur Baidot. The recurring themes of fairy tale elements are added into the songs to create the mood of a fairy tale.[9][1] The creators of the film wanted the viewers to empathize with the characters. Therefore, they inserted melodic sequences.[12]

At the 15 June 2020 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, the film entered into the final list of best animated films of 2020. The film was of the few Russian films to do so.[13][14][15] Artistic delegate of the Annecy animation Festival Marcel Jean stated, "In recent years, there has been an increasingly varied and consistent production of Russian animation. Historically, the USSR was "one of the great foci of animated cinema. It feels like Russia is reaching its full potential."[16]

At the 25 June 2020 Shanghai International Film Festival, Ginger's Tale represented Russia as it was nominated for the Golden Goblet award. Only three other films vied for contention that included The Old Man Movie from Estonia, Boonie Bears: The Wild Life from China, and Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop from Japan. The Mandarin festive title for the film went by 金婕的故事 (The Story of Jin Jie).[5][17][18] On 18 September 2020, the film became a selection for the California animation film society ASIFA-Hollywood.[19] In 25 September 2020, the film received the grand prize for the "Best Feature-Length Animated Film" at the Scarlet Sails of Artek Festival. The film forum held in Artek, Russia is a notable festival that recognizes the development of cinema in Russia and the world, with noted emphasis on children's educational material.[20]

Originally, scheduled for release in Russia in 8 October 2020, the distributors MVK rescheduled the film's release date to 4 February 2021.[21]

In 2015, the Russian television channel "Mult" (English: "Cartoon") together with the All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK) launched a unique project "Mult v kino" (English: "Cartoon in the cinema") in the cinema market, which has now changed its name to "MVK" is distributed.

Film-rezensionen review from Germany found the film has solid animation. "But the appealing pictures and some good elements are enough for the solid midfield." The reviewer also found the movie hearkens back to the nostalgic traditional animation of Disney and Russian cartoons in general, because it employs the "well-known template" of fairy-tales. Most noticeably the reviewer compared the film to 101 Dalmatians. However, the review found the most interesting aspect of the film is the character development of Potter. The script accurately describes the transformation of Potter from a poor craft artist to a gold despot.[22]

A French Annecy review remarked the film is a refreshing 2D animation film in the year of 2020. The review found Ginger's story to be the cornerstone of the film as the recurring theme of " material goods do not make happiness" moves the plot along about the interaction of Potter, Ginger, and their society.[23] Another Annecy review noted the quality of animation, "The 2D animation is elegant, using in particular the atmospheres of sunsets, and evoking the universes of "snow white" or "sleeping beauty" of Disney, including even in the character of the evil queen."[24]

Italian review by Antonio Abate states one "cannot deny a certain grace" the film projects to the audience. The review stated even though the story is of "an ordinary girl", it is a portrayal of how Ginger is "keeping high the spirit of a friend who is increasingly lost in front of her eyes." Overall, the review concluded, the film "instills in the whole a graceful, even consoling sense."[2]

Tlum.ru remarked that the project is very promising with the drawings emphasizing native color that is lacking in other animation studios.[25] A preliminary Annecy review from Kino-Theatr found as the film progresses, the characters began to take hints of the characters in the 2013 space opera animated film Ku! Kin-dza-dza.[26]