By order of the Ministry of Culture and Arts of Ukraine
UKRANIMAFILM
THE IRON WOLF
Once, a very long time ago, lived a fellow named Mishko.
This is what he looked like! He was a tsar's son.
And he had a horse, too. What's a man without a horse?
One day, he rode off into the forest...
...and fell asleep.
Fell asleep, and missed seeing a rock by the road.
On that rock, it was written
that in this forest lived a scary, scary wolf!
Oh, was he ever fierce, bad-tempered,
and most importantly - made of iron.
So nobody could bite him. Only he bit everyone else.
He'd meet someone and bite, bite, bite...
That's the sort of wolf he was.
The tsar's son was all...
Mishko was terrified.
- I'm gonna eat you up right here and now!
Mishko went and started teasing him: - I'll escape! I'll escape!
And the wolf went chasing after him!
He was growling and getting slobber everywhere!
- Wait!
Wait, I'll catch up! If I get you, I don't know what I'll do first!
But afterwards, I'm gonna eat you!
Or at least nibble you a bit!
So they ran on and on, and suddenly came upon a hole in the ground!
Mishko dived in!
The wolf wanted to get in after him, pulled on the nail...
...and everything fell apart!
20 YEARS LATER
Mishko fell near a hut where a witch lived with her daughter.
And the iron wolf was the father.
- Ah, help me, lady! The iron wolf is after me, he wants to eat me!
He's got big claws and sharp teeth! But I'm so soft and fat...
The witches were all:
(rather maliciously)
- Aha! Here I am!
- Oh, help! Save me!
- Enough! - yells the daughter - stop this!
Let him first marry me, and bring me some magic water,
And then we can eat him.
- Hurrah! - they all yelled.
- Oh-oh, no, please don't!
So Mishko had no choice but to marry. What could he do?
20 YEARS LATER
- Well, how's married life? Give me the scoop, man-to-man.
- Aw, nuts to married life!
You'd better not even ask.
And besides, I need to search for that water now...
You call this living? Really puts a damper on the whole marriage thing...
Phooey!
Now, that water was so magical that a single drop was enough
to turn any ugly female into a beauty.
Caw!
Shh! Quiet!
And Mishko went back to his villains.
Suddenly, he heard somebody crying in the fog.
- What are you crying about, old man?
- How can I not cry, you idiot?
You've killed my wife!
- What, for real? - asked Mishko,
- You're a real comedian, old man! That's just a crow!
- What crow, you idiot? That's my wife, my beloved beauty!
- These women all look alike to me!
Don't you grieve, old man. I'll fix everything.
He poured a bit of water on her - drip, drip!
- Mother of God! That water's really something!
Too bad there's not enough left for the old stump himself, too.
- For lifting the enchantment on my wife,
I'm giving you a magical chain
and a magical cat's tail.
The chain can break through metal.
And the tail, if you attach it behind you, will turn you into a cat.
As soon as you pull it away, you'll return to your old self.
- Thank you, old man, - said Mishko, - in that case, I'll go and kill the wolf.
What a polite young man. In that royal palace, they were all like that.
20 YEARS LATER
- Well? Have you brought the magic water?
- Naturally!
And he hit him with the chain across his spine!
- What have I done? This is even worse!
- Now that's what I call a strike!
- Stop slicing like that!
- Oh, mommy!
- It's always the same...
The witches saw that Mishko had chopped up the wolf, and went chasing him!
He, thinking quickly, got right back on his horse!
- Help me now, cat's tail!
- What about me?
- Take this... hooah!
- Ah, you won't get away! We've got you!
- Where d'you think you're going?!
- I'll just attach this tail to you...
Then everyone yelled: "Hurrah! Hurrah!", "Awesome!", "Praises be!"
And those didn't know what to yell just yelled like mad.
And that's why you should never pull cats by their tails.
screenplay - O. Pedan directors - O. Pedan, N. Marchenkova
art director - S. Sashnikov composer - M. Portnikova
camera - A. Nikolayenko, I. Sergeyeva sound - L. Moroz
animators - Zh. Taran, O. Pedan
assistants - A. Lapchinska, A. Milkovytska, S. Melnychenko
puppets & decor - A. Radchenko, V. Gahun, O. Pedan, S. Sashnikov, A. Milkovytska
narrator - M. Rybalka, montage - Yu. Sribnytska
script editor - S. Kutsenko, production director - V. Kilinskyy
THE END
Translation by Niffiwan, from Russian subs by A.Nevidimov (alex.n42)
(c) Ukrainian Studio of Animated Films, 1999