The Federal Agency for Culture and Cinematography
Pilot big animation studio
Present
We live in Russia
The coat of arms of Russia is the two-headed golden eagle
mighty and proud
In its centre is St. George.
With his silver spear he is slaying a wicked dragon.
The Russian flag has three colors: White, blue and red.
The capital of our country is Moscow: an ancient yet modern city.
Russia is the biggest country in the world.
It's so big that while at one end of it kids are going to school
on the other end they are already going to bed.
In Russia there are more than 1000 cities.
In the Central Russian Upland lies the ancient city of Voronezh,
famous for its songs.
Surprisingly it was here, far from the sea,
that Tsar Peter started to build the Russian navy.
Also in these areas Count Orlov
bred that famous breed of horses: the swift Orlov Trotters.
The Voronezh land is the most fertile land in the world!
Here grows wonderful wheat from which a tasty and fragrant bread is baked.
And, of course, they also tell wonderful folk tales.
Each of them is like a precious gem.
Mountain of Gems
The Clever Daughter
In a certain tsardom, in a certain country, lived two brothers.
Ignat was rich, but Kuzma lived modestly, closer to the earth.
There was but one horse on his farm yet Kuzma wasn't discouraged;
he had a whip-smart daughter to boast of.
Morning's good!
Good morning!
Pelageya, my dear...
You're my sweetheart!
My breadwinner...
Here! Or here... or here...
What's going on?
Where is it? A meal's bad when there's no bread!
Father, there's neither flour, nor salt.
We must go to the city. Go borrow the cart from your brother...
Ah-ah-ah, hold it! Grab it! By its legs! By its legs!
Not from that end! Hold it from the other side.
- Don't teach grandma to suck eggs! - Got it!
Where are you heading off to?
Just to the city, to the bazaar.
Need some flour and salt... Could I borrow your cart?
Flour, salt. You know what, let's go into town together,
How's that - together?
Just like that. We'll take my cart and your horse.
Let's go, then.
Holy-molly, look at that...
Catch this too!
Let's go!
Well, dear...
Easy there!
So, a big rock in the spokes crushed the plans of those folks.
The wheel came off, and the brothers didn't reach the town...
They had to spend the night in the field.
Well, thank you! That's happiness for you!
Ignat, see what we have here!
Hey? What's this?
Oh! You see, my cart has delivered a foal!
Don't be silly, Ignat...
A good foal, eh?
How's that?
Just like that! Whose cart is it?
- Yours... - Where's the foal?
- Under the cart... - Well?!
Well, what?
Well, so the foal comes from the cart!
- A foal always comes from a horse. - It's from the cart, I say!
- Wait, how's that? - It's my foal!
- No, mine! - Mine - Mine
- So... then let's... go the court! - Fine, let's!
- Hey, what's he saying? - Silence!
- Silence, women! - Listen to the decision of our court!
According to the law of our country, as adopted and brought forth by the wisdom of Our Royal Majesty - the Tsar
According to the law of our country,
as adopted and brought forth by the wisdom of His Royal Majesty,
our Tsar and benefactor, the high court conf-
-irms... that an animal is always birthed by an animal!
Therefore, the marked foal, born from his mother-mare,
by the sole legitimate claim present here, is the son of...
the cart.
So the owner of the foal is certified to be... Ignat.
Ah, what is this?! People! What is this court? Where is the truth?!
Saying a foal can only come from a mare, and then decide for the cart
You're all unjust! This court, this mother-land and our father-protector, the Tsar!
What?!
It's... oi!
You know what you may get for such words?
Your head off your shoulders!
Well, nobles? Shall we judge whose foal it is?
Silence!
Here is my Tsar's decree:
The foal shall be his who guesses a riddle!
Three riddles are customary...
...guesses three riddles!
The first riddle...
Well... hmm... so... Oh!
Who in the world is the fattest?
What in the world is the fastest?
What in the world is... the softest!
Answer tomorrow!
Shoo!
- What's the fattest, what's the fastest? - Oh, Pelageya, how should I guess that?!
Just sleep on it.
The early bird catches the worm!
Wake up! The Tsar is waiting!
I've got the answers to his riddles!
- Well, did you figure it out? - Just so, your Royal Majesty!
Well, then answer: Who is the fattest?
Your Majesty, it's Your Royal Majesty's pig!
Oi!
And what's the fastest?
And the fastest is: the chestnut stallion of Your Royal Majesty!
So... what was the third riddle? What's the softest of all?
Your Imperial feather-bed.
Well, and what have you got?
The softest of all, Your Majesty, is a hand.
However soft your bed is, you still put your hand underneath.
The fastest of all is a thought. It flies around the world in an instant.
That's a thought!
And the fattest of all is the earth.
WHAT?! Ha, ha, ha!
Go and eat earth, then!! Ha, ha, ha!
Well, of course the earth is the fattest.
The earth herself feeds and waters all that are born on it.
All that is on Your table are the earth's gifts.
- You thought of this yourself? - Oh, no. My daughter...
What daughter?
- She's that size. - That's small. - Yeah.
Ah, ah, she's clever!
Well, if she's that clever, let her appear before me herself.
And let her be neither riding nor on foot,
And neither dressed nor undressed,
And also... hum... without any gift but with a gift!
We need a sparrow.
What's that noise all about?
Where are you going, Your Majesty?
Look... a fishnet wound around her... - What is this?!
My daughter.
She was told to appear neither riding nor walking,
Neither dressed, nor undressed, and without any gift but with a gift!
This is for you.
With a gift. - A gift Oh, there goes my gift!!!
Look at you! Knee-high from a grasshopper and you outwitted the Tsar!
Well, I'll be! Little and so smart!
I may be clever, but you, father-Tsar...
maybe you were also born from a cart?
Don't you know whose foal it is?
Oh, you! Just take a look over there!
- Exactly. Exactly! - That's where the foal belongs
What's this? Don't ruin me, father-Tsar!
Here, take hold of this! That's what a cart gives birth to!
That's how everything was settled with intelligence.
The foal was given to Kuzma.
The judges, of course, were sent to the stables, where there was more order.
Let sleeping dogs lie!...
And that's as it should be, because the last word is always with what is right.
Script, direction and art-direction Yelena Chernova, art-direction Eduard Nazarov
Music and sound Sasha Gusev
The End Subs by Chapaev, Eus & Niffiwan (2021)