Sverdlovsk Film Studio
Commissioned by the USSR State Committee of TV and Radio Broadcast (Gosteleradio)
THE TALE OF A LITTLE BUG Based on the story by D.N. Mamin-Sibiryak
My Alyonushka loves to hear fairy tales.
"Tell me one!" she will ask.
Our campfire burns on, and the fairy tale wants to get going, too.
So I told Alyonushka about one little bug.
There are so many of them around us, these unnoticed little fry -
in the grass, on the water, in burrows - more than you could count!
The sun warms all of them, the water murmurs for all of them.
Many of them haven't even been given names, so they live without them.
They can distinguish each other, and that's enough for them.
But they perform all their work diligently.
They cultivate and care for the land around them.
Our fairy tale goes on, swims on... flies on!
Our little bug has a good start to her day.
She has a bath in a flower,
and dries off under the sun.
So good!
- Who is flying around here?
Everything here is mine! All mine! Mine!
Whatever I eat is mine. Whatever is mine I eat.
- But the sky, for example, who does that belong to?
- Don't you be too clever! There's lots who are smarter than you.
- Come and live with us in the anthill, little bug!
There are a lot of us. We fear no one!
And our life is friendly and healthy!
- Maybe I'll go.
Only I don't know how to carry straws.
- We'll teach you that in a jiffy!
- Wait, I'll help the flower first.
Oh, where are you?
Now I can't find him.
The flowers bloom. The caterpillar eats.
The spider and the toad sit silently in the old jug...
But what about me? What am I to do?
- Why are you crying?
Live! Do not cry.
- I'm not crying!
You're blind, you can't see.
- I cannot see, but I feel.
Your tear dropped, and the earth absorbed it.
So I found out that the earth had a tear.
- Who are you?
- I am a worm.
- Why are you plowing there?
- The ants told me to.
I work for them as a plowman-peasant.
- Is it hard for you?
- One gets used to it.
- The worm plows.
The waterdrop drips.
But what am I for?
- For a very important matter, little dearie.
How wonderfully do things work out!
Exactly at dinnertime...
some little bug appears right in front of me.
- Is that really what I am for?
It can't be!
- It can, it can.
Even a small dinner is still dinner.
Hmm. Perhaps we should start? What do you think?
"Scat, you disgusting toad!" said Alyonushka.
She had no choice but to appear in her own dream to help the little one.
But Alyonushka didn't want to wake up completely yet.
Let the fairy tale go on!
"Now you will see a wonderful fish.
It is powerful. It can do everything,"
whispered big Alyonushka suggestively.
- Ah, what can I ask of you?
What is the most needed thing?
- Ask me to grant life to everyone!
So I concluded the fairy tale.
I sat, staring at the river, at its lunar path...
And along it, out of the fairy tale walked my Alyonushka.
She was carrying a small mushroom, too.
How prudent she is!
screenwriter Vladimir Golovanov
director Vladimir Petkevich art director Aleksandr Petrov
camera V. Konstatinov, Sergey Reshetnikov
animators Yelena Marchenko (later Petkevich), Vladimir Petkevich
sound Viktor Gerrat music designer M. Kesareva
montage L. Permyakova text read by Georgiy Burkov
Music from: Vytautas Barkauskas, Paul Hindemith, Viktor Uspenskiy, Anatoliy Lyadov
script editor I. Duykova production diretor Valentina Hizhnyakova
The End Gosteleradio USSR 1985
Made on "Tasma" film (from Kazan) subs by Eus (2012) & Niffiwan (2023)