Studio Animos presents
Russian Classics for Children
Antoniy Pogorelskiy
Based on the story "The Lafertovo Poppycake Seller"
Godmother's Gift
Oh, how wonderful.
Look carefully, dear Masha.
You are my goddaughter. I love you,
and I want to make you happy.
Those are my mother and my father.
But right now they should be having tea with bagels.
And where is Masha?
At her godmother's.
I do not like it.
Do me a favor and don't interfere.
Masha will grow up. The time will come to find a husband for her.
How will we find a groom without a dowry?
Her godmother will make our daughter wealthy.
And this is my guest.
Give him back! Give him back!
Hush. Hush.
You should be ashamed, aunty!
It's time to think about your soul, and stop palling about with the devil.
Don't you dare let her go there anymore!
That witch will not teach her anything good.
Oh, mother. I'm frightened of tonight's meeting with my godmother.
Oh, why do you keep going on about this?
Your godmother may be a witch, but she loves you.
Remember how she played with you when you were a child,
how she gave you sweets.
What are you looking at out there?
Without a dowry, you'll never marry.
Stop crying!
What will your godmother say when she sees you with red eyes?
Mother, I'm afraid. And father will be angry
when he learns that we are going against his will.
Look, nobody's going to eat you!
And your father shouldn't stick his nose into matters where he wasn't invited.
Come in, girl. Don't be afraid.
We haven't seen each other in a long time.
You have flowered, like a day in May. It is time to get married.
I knew that you would come tonight.
I must say goodbye to you.
We will not see each other again.
Well, my darling...
I will make you happy.
A bridegroom will come who was prepared just for you.
Everything will be as it must be.
Here's my gift to you.
Guard it more dearly than your own eye!
Here is the key.
Could it really have happened?
My godmother promised that a groom would present himself
with whom I will be happy.
You see how well I did, not to give in to your tears.
If there is a key, there will also be a keyhole.
But mind you: not a word to your father! Otherwise he could spoil the whole thing.
Auntie has died.
And her cat vanished, as if the earth swallowed him.
How beautiful!
We've never had so much living space.
Let us pray for the deceased.
Her soul is in need of our prayers.
Daughter, your groom will soon appear.
We will turn over a new leaf, when we have a household full of gold!
Be sure, we'll find means to spend your wealth!
May God bring peace to her soul.
My heart is troubled.
Damn it, good God. Shoo! Shoo!
Well.
Is this where the money's hidden?
Mother, I decided to reveal our secret to father and show him the key.
Now just wait, dear daughter, just wait!
Look, that dead woman will not frighten us forever.
Once your groom shows up everything will be fine.
Oh, Masha! Now it has happened.
Your fiance's been sitting for over an hour with your father,
and he is waiting for you.
Masha, let me introduce you to Aristarchus Falaleich Purrrlykin.
He does you the honour of asking for your hand.
Step closer.
- What the meaning of this?! - How discourtous you are!
But this is the missing cat of my godmother!
- Are you crazy?! - What cat?
Tell him to take off his gloves and you will see that he has claws.
Shame on you, missy!
Ah, never you mind, sir. I will come again tomorrow!
Tomorrow, my dear bride will accept me more affectionately.
He's a rich man, polite, gentle.
He will take good care of you.
Mother, please,
do not marry me off to that cat!
Ugh, you fool!
Oh, godmother, how harshly you dealt with me.
And you even said that you loved me.
I do not want either your groom, nor your money.
Take back your gift.
No!
It's me, your betrothed fiance.
Not for anything in the world!
Give me back the key! Give it back!
I am man who is polite, gentle, and rich.
I will take good care of you.
But you're a cat!
You really are a cat.
You're a fool, Masha.
Masha, where did you wander off to?
Come in and meet your groom, at last.
This is the son of my buddy in the army.
I have already promised you in marriage to him.
Let us wish the young couple happiness and many years to come!
Call everyone to the samovar, Masha.
Come to the table, everyone!
What a lovely cat.
He'd run away, but now he's come back.
What an adventure he must've had.
screenwriter Tatyana Shestakova director Yekaterina Mihaylova
art director Nina Vinogradova composer Igor Nazaruk
camera Andrey Luchnik
animators Alla Solovyova, Milana Fedoseyeva
voice-actors Yekaterina Semyonova, Olga Volkova, Stanislav Fedosov, Igor Kan, Masha Sigal
sound Viktor Brus art assistant Olga Nefedova
puppets and decor: Gennadiy Bogachyov, Anatoliy Gnedinskiy,
Vladimir Shafranyuk, Yelena Pokrovskaya, Nina Vinogradova, Viktor Piunov,
Olga Nefedova, Nikolay Zaklyakov, Galina Kruglova
montage Yuliya Milehina, Lyudmila Koptyeva, Sergey Krotenko
computer work Andrey Kolmogorov, Vladimir Lazarenko-Manevich, Yuliya Milehina
film digitization Laboratory of Gorky Film Studio
production director Vladimir Gassiyev line producer Anna Dzhioyeva
studio artistic director Natalya Orlova producer Tengiz Semyonov
Filmed with financial support from the Cinematography Department of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation
The End "Animos" studio Subs by Lemicnor & Eus (2016), ed. Niffiwan (2023)