The Tale of the Fox
Encyclopedia
The Tale of the Fox was stop-motion animation
pioneer Ladislas Starevich
's first fully animated feature film
. It is based on the tales of Renard
the Fox
. Although the animation was finished in Paris
after an 18-month period (1929-1930), there were major problems with adding a soundtrack to the film. Finally, funding was given for a German soundtrack by the Nazi regime (Goethe had written a classic version of the Renard legend) and this version had its premiere in Berlin
in April 1937.
Released eight months before Disney's Snow White
, it is the world's sixth-ever animated
feature film
(and the second to use puppet animation, following The New Gulliver
from the USSR). The film was released in France
with a French language
soundtrack in 1941; this is the version which is currently available on DVD
.
), receives more and more complaints. Finally, he orders Renard to be arrested and brought before the throne.
Stop motion
Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence...
pioneer Ladislas Starevich
Ladislas Starevich
Vladislav Starevich , born Władysław Starewicz , was a Russian and French stop-motion animator who used insects and other animals as his protagonists...
's first fully animated feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
. It is based on the tales of Renard
Reynard
Reynard is the subject of a literary cycle of allegorical French, Dutch, English, and German fables largely concerned with Reynard, an anthropomorphic red fox and trickster figure.-Etymology of the name:Theories about the origin of the name Reynard are:...
the Fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
. Although the animation was finished in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
after an 18-month period (1929-1930), there were major problems with adding a soundtrack to the film. Finally, funding was given for a German soundtrack by the Nazi regime (Goethe had written a classic version of the Renard legend) and this version had its premiere in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
in April 1937.
Released eight months before Disney's Snow White
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a 1937 American animated film based on Snow White, a German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. It was the first full-length cel-animated feature in motion picture history, as well as the first animated feature film produced in America, the first produced in full...
, it is the world's sixth-ever animated
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
(and the second to use puppet animation, following The New Gulliver
The New Gulliver
The New Gulliver is a Soviet stop motion-animated cartoon, and the first to make such extensive use of puppet animation, running almost all the way through the film . The film was released in 1935 to widespread acclaim and earned Ptushko a special prize at the International Cinema Festival in Milan...
from the USSR). The film was released in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
with a French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
soundtrack in 1941; this is the version which is currently available on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
.
Plot
In the kingdom of animals, the fox Renard is used to tricking and fooling everyone. Consequently, the King (a lionLion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
), receives more and more complaints. Finally, he orders Renard to be arrested and brought before the throne.
Cast
- Claude DauphinClaude DauphinClaude Dauphin is a lawyer and politician in the province of Quebec, Canada. He is a Montreal city councillor and also serves as the mayor of the Montreal borough of Lachine...
as Monkey - Romain Bouquet as Fox
- Laine as Lion
- Sylvain Itkine as Wolf
- Leon LariveLéon LariveLéon Larive was a French film actor. He appeared in 95 films between 1923 and 1961.-Selected filmography:* Return to Life * The Rules of the Game * The Tale of the Fox -External links:...
as Bear - Robert Seller as Cock
- Eddy Debray as Badger
- Nicolas Amato as Cat
- Pons as Donkey
- Sylvia BatailleSylvia BatailleSylvia Bataille was a French actress, born Sylvia Maklès in Paris , of Romanian-Jewish descent. When she was twenty, she married the writer Georges Bataille with whom she had a daughter, the psychoanalyst Laurence Bataille . Georges Bataille and Sylvia separated in 1934 but did not divorce until...
as Rabbit - Suzy Dornac as Fox Cub
- Jaime Plama as Cat (singing voice)
See also
- History of French animationHistory of French animationThe first pictured movie was from Frenchman Émile Reynaud, who created praxynoscope, animation system of 12 pictures, and films of about 500~600 pictures, projected on its own théatre optique, system near from modern film projector, at Musée Grévin in Paris, France, the October 28, 1892.Émile Cohl ...
- List of animated feature-length films
- List of stop-motion films