Once Upon a Dog
| Once Upon a Dog Zhil-byl pyos | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Animated cartoon Comedy |
| Directed by | Eduard Nazarov |
| Country of origin |  Soviet Union |
| Original language | Russian |
| Production | |
| Producer | Soyuzmultfilm |
| Running time | 10 min 36 sec |
| Original release | |
| Release | 1982 |
Once Upon a Dog (Once Upon a Time There Lived a Dog, Template:Lang-ru (Zhil-byl pyos)) is an acclaimed Soviet cartoon, adapted from a Ukrainian folk tale.[1]
The cartoon won the first place at the 1983 International Film Festival in Odense and a special prize at the 1983 festival in Annecy.[2]
Plot
The day comes when an old cur watchdog becomes useless and the masters decide to drive him away. They turn exasperated when the Dog stays indifferent during a home theft. The Dog leaves for the forest, where he meets the Wolf, his old enemy. The Wolf stages a kidnapping to help his mate and the Dog "rescues" the child. The Dog is welcomed back to the khutor with pomp and honours and decides to repay the Wolf's kindness. He helps the Wolf to infiltrate the house and feeds him with viands from table. Intoxicated by horilka, the Wolf reveals his intention to sing. He howls and the Dog casts the mate away from the house. The Wolf thanks the Dog and the best friends bid farewell.
Credits
The cartoon repeatedly features the Ukrainian folk songs "Oy Tam Na Hori" ("Oh, there at the mountain") and "Ta kosyv batko, kosyv ya" ("My fahter and I were mowing") performed by "Drevo" folk choir from Kryachkovka Village of Pyryatin District Poltava Region. The Dog was voiced by Georgi Burkov and the Wolf by Armen Dzhigarkhanyan. Animators – Anatoly Abarenov, Natalia Bogomolova, Sergey Dezhkin, operator – Mikhail Druyan, sound producer – Andrey Filchikov.
A steel monument to the Wolf was placed in 2005 in Tomsk and a copy was made in 2007 in Angarsk.[3] The monument is unofficially called "Monument to Happiness".