"The Adventures of Leopold the Cat" is a Soviet cartoon familiar to several generations of children and parents. If we characterize the project, then the story of the adventures of an intelligent cat and two restless mice is an animated series consisting of 11 episodes. The directors of cartoons about the role of friendship and peaceful coexistence are Arkady Khait and Anatoly Reznikov. The first series of the project was released in 1975.
The simple storyline captivated the little ones. Each episode described instructive episodes from Leopold's life. Many noted the similarity of the episodes with the American animated series "Tom and Jerry". Domestic cartoon against the background of a foreign analogue looks peaceful and kind, and the heroes are less bloodthirsty and selfish.
History
Hight and Reznikov met in 1974. Not long before that, the show of the cartoon "Well, wait!" Started. Reznikov, elated with success, planned a new project for small viewers. The director could not find an interesting plot, and the composer Boris Savelyev came to the rescue. The musician introduced Hayt and Reznikov, laying the foundation for a productive creative union. It gave birth to the idea of \u200b\u200ba new multi-part cartoon and the famous phrase:
"Guys let's be friends!".
The main idea was to turn the plot against the logic. According to the plan of Hight and Reznikov, the cat Leopold did not chase the mice, but escaped their attacks. The moral of the project was an important component of life - friendship. To make the thought accessible to children, the creators of the project put the famous quote into the mouth of the protagonist.
Leopold the Cat in the first cartoon The Soviet Union proclaimed the idea of \u200b\u200bworld peace, and the animated series corresponded perfectly to it. The first episode presented to the public was "Revenge of Leopold the Cat". It was followed by the series "Leopold and the Goldfish". The cartoons were created using the transfer technology, which involves the use of cut out parts, with the help of which the mise-en-scene and the appearance of the characters are recreated. The cartoonists drew images, placed them on the glass, and then moved them carefully to create an animation effect. The following episodes were created using painting techniques.
Despite the classic moral overtones, the project was not immediately approved by the artistic council of the Soyuz studio. After the 1975 premiere, it was banned with the wording of anti-Soviet views and pacifist sentiments.
The chairman of the artistic council, Zhdanova, was embarrassed that the cat could not deal with the rodents. Nevertheless, the creators continued to work on the project, and their tenacity was rewarded. The story of an intelligent cat and hooligan mice has been broadcast on the country's first channels since the 80s of the twentieth century. The audience was delighted with the new characters: the children quickly fell in love with the cat and mice, the parents thanked for the project that voiced the educational foundations. The success motivated the authors to visualize new ideas.
Characters
Unusual characters became the main component of a successful animated series. The central character was a decent, well-mannered cat with the aesthetic name Leopold. He is dressed in neat clothes and wears a fluffy bow around his neck. The dandy walks around the house in slippers and speaks in a simple but beautiful language. Unlike the wolf from "Well, wait!", He does not smoke or drink, he speaks modestly and quietly, hospitable and clean.
Leopold is used to solving problems peacefully and encourages the mice attacking him to live in harmony, not to harm each other. The peaceful good-natured hero forgives offensive pranks and is ready to come to the rescue of two cocky mice.
Some viewers considered the cat weak-willed, because sometimes the intrigues of the mice were offensive. The creators of the project tried to intercede for him, so in one of the episodes he received the medicine "Ozverin", which would help to repel the offenders.
Leopold the cat after "Ozverin" But Leopold's character does not allow being rude, so the mice remain intact, and the audience understands that patience and a good attitude will melt any heart.
Antipodes of Leopold are two mice - White and Gray. Although there is not a word about this in the cartoon, the characters have names: Mitya and Motya. Hooligans are against the cat and take his decency and restraint for cowardice. In each episode, the hooligans try to annoy Leopold, and in the finale of the action they certainly repent, asking for forgiveness.
Gray, speaking in a squeaky voice, first wore a cap, but eventually lost it. In the course of the narrative, he became very fat and found a bass. White remained skinny and retained a high voice. At first, the leader was the Gray, but from the third episode, the leadership passed into the clutches of the White, who was distinguished by greater cunning and prudence.
- In the period from 1975 to 1987, 11 cartoons were released about the adventures of sworn friends. They described the search for treasure, the purchase of a TV, the cat's walk and his birthday. The plot told about how the summer spent in the company of mice went, flights in dreams and in reality, an interview with Leopold. The story was built around going to the clinic and buying a car.
- In 1993, Soyuz studio released 4 more episodes about the adventures of favorite children's characters. It was a new season with a high-quality image and the same semantic load. The cycle was named "The Return of Leopold the Cat".
- The cartoon is disassembled by fans for quotes. In addition to famous phrases, it used a soundtrack that still lifts the spirits of millions of children and adults. Optimistic song "We will survive this trouble!" became the anthem of the project.
- The soundtrack and dubbing of the animated series turned out to be an interesting process. In the first episode of the cartoon, Leopold voiced the mice and the cat. He was invited to collaborate on the second series, but the artist suddenly fell ill. The actor was replaced. gave the characters a voice in episodes 3-10 episodes, and the audience heard Mironov again in Interview with Leopold the Cat.
- During the banning of the cartoon, the image of a kind cat became known in all corners of the Soviet Union. More than one book has been written about his adventures.
- The popularity of the cartoon is so great that a $ 2 coin was minted in honor of Leopold. Among collectors, its value is estimated at $ 140.
- The authors of the famous cartoon cherish the hope of creating a continuation of the cycle about the adventures of the touching cat Leopold and the gray and white twirling tails. In 2016, work on the project was interrupted by the financial crisis, but the directors do not lose hope for the resumption of work.
Director of "Cat Leopold" and other projects, "she wrote.
According to Russian media reports, the cartoonist died on January 31 at approximately 11 am in Solingen, where he spent his last days. At the moment, the cause of Reznikov's death is not known.
Anatoly Reznikov was born in 1940 in the Polish city of Bialystok, but he spent his childhood and youth in Tbilisi. In 1958, he graduated from the Tbilisi School of Painting, after which he ended up at the Moscow Central Studio of Documentary Films, where he began to get involved in animation and enrolled in refresher courses to study hand-drawn animation. In parallel with this, until 1968, he studied at the Faculty of Industrial Aesthetics of the Moscow State Art University (formerly the Stroganov School) as an artist-designer.
Since 1970, he began working as an animation artist on television - at the Ekran Creative Association, on the basis of which the Multtelefilm studio was then created.
His first works as a director were made in the genre of volumetric animation: from 1971 to 1974, four musical fairy tales, "The Straw Bull", "The Beetle - a Curved Hill", "Car with a Tail" and "Morning Music" were released.
Reznikov was one of the founders and pioneers of "comic" animation on television.
Some comics of his own writing subsequently formed the basis of his animated works. The most famous of them are "Home for a Leopard" (1979), "Blot" (1980) and a parody of the western "One cowboy, two cowboy" (1981).
The last film received particular popularity thanks to the participation of actor Andrei Mironov, who gave his voice to all the characters of the tape. In the manner of a comic strip, short sketches on the theme of the Olympic Games were also made, which Reznikov did in 1980 together with screenwriter Arkady Hayt.
The most famous creation of Reznikov is a series of films about the adventures of Leopold the cat from the scripts.
In addition to works for children, he also created several short sketches for an older audience - in particular, the humorous film "Little Devil with a Fluffy Tail" based on the novel by the famous American writer O. Henry "The Leader of the Redskins".
During his creative career, Reznikov has released more than 40 works. He continued to engage in animation until the first half of the 90s, but after that there was a long break, which lasted for as long as 22 years.
However, in 2015 he returned to his calling. At the beginning of 2016, on the occasion of the director's 75th birthday, the premiere of the new animated series The New Adventures of Leopold the Cat took place.
Animation director, Honored Artist of Russia Anatoly Reznikov
Wikimedia CommonsAccording to the recollections of Reznikov himself, his hobby for animation arose mainly after watching the Disney film "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs".
“I didn’t come to the cinema, I came. They took me to work on a trolley bus that ran from Revolution Square to Likhov Lane, where the documentary film studio was located. The love for animation came to me in the late forties - early fifties, - the director recalled. - I lived and grew up in Tbilisi, after the war there were so-called trophy films, and I saw the full-length picture "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."
The film simply stunned me, I could not believe that it was a drawn film, and not a natural one, this childhood impression was so strong that even now, having watched thousands of animated films, I still consider Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs a masterpiece. "
“I learned from one of my colleagues that an animation studio is being created on television, or rather, it was not a studio yet, but an animation association at the studio of feature films of the Ekran Creative Association. The "studio" at that time consisted of a director, an editor and four artists. There I made my first film, - said Reznikov. -
In 1975 I met a wonderful screenwriter Arkady Hayt and proposed to him the idea of \u200b\u200ba film about the adventures of Leopold the cat and two snooty mice; the name of the cat, however, we came up with already in the process of working on the first script. "
He noted that the very first episode of the cartoon instantly became a national hit.
“The first film, The Revenge of Leopold the Cat, immediately became popular. The phrase: "Guys, let's live together!" Andrei Mironov and Gennady Khazanov spoke, and now only Alexander Kalyagin, - said Reznikov. - And the mice, by the way, are called Mitya and Motya, as it is written in the script. Mitya says: "Tail for a tail!", And Motya answers: "A tooth for a tooth!"
In honor of this cartoon, which, undoubtedly, Soviet children adored and today's kids watch with pleasure, a special coin was issued. True, not here, but on the Cook Islands. The coin was silver, its face value is two dollars (moreover, it can be bought from collectors for as much as $ 140). And here are the heroes of your favorite cartoon - Leopold the cat and mice. What were the names of the mice from Leopold's Cat? After all, all viewers know that they are, and their names remained behind the scenes.
Character history
"The Adventures of Leopold the Cat" is a Soviet cartoon that is familiar to several generations of girls, boys and their parents. In short, this is a story about the adventures of a very intelligent ginger cat and two restless mice who are always trying to bring trouble to the cat.
The animated series consists of eleven episodes. Anatoly Reznikov also became the screen parents of the cartoon about friendship and peaceful coexistence. The debut series was released 43 years ago, in 1975.
Quite a simple storyline of the cartoon won the hearts of Soviet kids. Each episode described instructive episodes from the life of a kind cat.
Similarities and differences with similar characters. "Tom and Jerry"
Fans of cartoons could note the similarity of Soviet mice with those from the American animated series "Tom and Jerry". And our, Soviet mice, and the foreign mouse are equally nasty to cats. In the same way, they run away from them, coming up with new pranks and dirty tricks on the go.
Here it is necessary to clarify that there are certain differences in the characters of the compared mice. Mouse Jerry in each episode takes revenge on Tom for the fact that the gray cat wants to eat her. Our mice (the name of the mice from the cartoon "Leopold the Cat" we will learn a little later) constantly provoke Leopold. They call him to a quarrel and all the time they call him a "vile coward."
Similarities and differences with similar characters. Mr Grabowski
Before finding out what the names of the mice from the cartoon "Leopold the Cat" were, let's look at the similarities of the characters with another foreign work. We can say with confidence that the main pests of the kind red cat Leopold are similar to mice from another wonderful Hungarian-German-Canadian cartoon "Cat Trap". It came out a few years later - in 1986, but also managed to win a large audience. Our mice also like to dress up in clothes, and the gray mouse appears in a cap in several episodes. But the similarities end there. Because ours - white and gray mice - are longtime disgraceful, and the heroes of the cartoon "Cat Trap" led by a mouse - an agent of the "Intermysh" organization Nick Grabowski - are trying to save their mouse race, which cats are trying to destroy.
The central character of this animated series is a decent and very well-mannered cat with a rather aesthetic name Leopold. He is always very neatly dressed, with a fluffy bow around his neck. The cat walks around the house in slippers, always speaks very simply, but beautifully. Unlike the wolf from "Well, wait!", He does not drink, does not smoke, speaks quietly and modestly. Leopold is clean and welcoming.
He always solves problems peacefully, calling on white and gray mice to live together and not harm each other. The cat is good-natured and peaceful, he forgives offensive mouse pranks, even comes to the rescue of cocky mice.
By the way, the name of the mice from "Leopold's Cat" was of interest not only to the smallest, but also to older fans of the cartoon. Some viewers found the cat somewhat weak-willed, because often the intrigues of the mice were very offensive. The creators of this project, in an attempt to intercede for a cute cat, came up with a series in which he receives the medicine "Ozverin" in order to be able to fight back the little tailed offenders. But his character is such that it does not make it possible to be rude, therefore harmful mice remain intact. Viewers understand that any heart can be melted with patience and good attitude.
Harmful mice
The antipodes of such a positive cat in this cartoon are two mice. And yet, what were the names of the mice from "Leopold's Cat" - Gray and White or Thick and Thin? This is a really interesting question. So, the white mouse is called Mitya, and the gray one is Motya. Yes, those are the names of the mice. True, they remained only in the script for the cartoon. In the television picture, the tailed uglies remained unnamed.
Now we know the name of the mice from "Leopold's Cat". And although these names are cartoonish, for some reason they somehow did not take root in the cartoon itself. Mice continued to be called so - by the color of their fur or by their constitution.
From intrigue to apology
We now know the names of the mice from "Leopold's Cat". It is Mitya and Motya who, throughout all the episodes of the cartoon, are the real hooligans (albeit small ones), who have a lot of different dirty tricks in stock. And yet they are very cute. Little viewers, perhaps, are still sure that mice can improve and become kinder. And the phrases of Mitya and Moti have long become winged. Who does not remember: "We are the mice ..." and "Leopold, come out, you mean coward!"?
For some reason, fluffy hooligans are opposed to a cute ginger cat, taking his modesty, decency and good breeding for ordinary cowardice. In each episode, the mice try to annoy Leopold, and in the end they necessarily repent and ask for forgiveness.
Is there a use for a cartoon?
Those viewers who watched the cartoon very carefully could not help but notice that the first two episodes of the cartoon are strikingly different from the rest. All this is due to the fact that they were made using the technique of shifting: the elements of the scenery and fragments of the bodies of the heroes of the adventure were first cut out of colored paper, and then gradually moved to a microscopic distance after each frame, placing them on the glass. This is how the animation effect was obtained. But from the third episode there were already drawn cartoons.
In the Soviet Union in the seventies, the idea of \u200b\u200bworld peace was proclaimed. And such an animated series just matched her. The first episode, which the audience saw, was called "Revenge of the Cat Leopold", and the second - "Leopold and the Goldfish." The name of the mice from "Cat Leopold" never appeared "on the air" - neither in these episodes, nor in others ...
Although this cartoon clearly had a classic moral background, the art council of the Soyuz studio did not immediately approve of this project. In 1975, the cartoon premiered, after which it was banned, formulating pacifist sentiments and anti-Soviet views.
The chairman of the artistic council, Zhdanova, was somewhat embarrassed by the fact that the cat could not deal with small rodents in any way. But the creators decided not to give up the project and were absolutely right. Since the eighties of the last century, an unusual story about an intelligent cat and hooligan mice has been broadcast on the country's leading channels. The audience was delighted with the new characters: the kids watched with interest how the relationship between the cat and the mice was developing, and the parents were grateful for such a project, which voiced the educational foundations. The resulting success helped motivate authors to visualize new ideas.
For twelve years - from 1975 to 1987 - eleven cartoons about the adventures of sworn friends were released. They talked about the search for treasure, the purchase of a TV, Leopold's birthday, his walk, the summer spent in the company of mice, the purchase of a car, a trip to the clinic, interviews with a cat and flights in dreams and in reality.
A few years later, the Soyuz studio released four more episodes about the new adventures of your favorite characters. In the new season, there was a high-quality image, but the semantic load remained exactly the same. It was all called The Return of Leopold the Cat.
It is impossible to ignore the dubbing of the cartoon series. This is all quite curious. The first episode was voiced by Andrey Mironov. They began to negotiate with him about the voice acting of the second series, but he suddenly fell ill. Therefore, Gennady Khazanov worked on the voice acting of the second series. From the third episode to the end, he gave his voice to the characters. But in the "Interview with Leopold the Cat" Mironov's voice sounded again.
Now that it became known what the name of the mice from "Leopold's Cat" was, perhaps today's kids will be looking at this kind and interesting cartoon with even greater interest, just like their parents once did, experiencing all the adventures of its heroes.
"The Adventures of Leopold the Cat" is an animated series about the kind cat Leopold, who is taken out by two hooligan mice. Filming began in 1975 and ended in 1993.
Anatoly Reznikov is the director of one of the most popular animated series for children about the adventures of Leopold the cat. "The Adventures of Leopold the Cat" is a very kind, funny animated series, in which 11 different episodes were filmed. This wonderful series was created by playwright Arkady Khait, artist Vyacheslav Nazaruk. For this work, the authors even received (!!!) the USSR State Prize.
Leopold is the main character who lives on the street. Murlykin. He is an ordinary cat, distinguished by his innate intelligence - he does not smoke or drink, does not raise his voice, and endures all the tricks of the mice. Leopold is a cat who doesn't want to quarrel with anyone. Leopold's words: "Guys, let's live together!" - this is a phrase that has long entered our life. Yes, and Leopold taught hooligan mice friendship!
Hooligan mice ... They are annoyed by a kind cat. They call him "a vile coward", they constantly find a reason to screw something up, but they still repent ... In the series "Revenge of Leopold the Cat", the gray one wears a cap, and the white one has a disgusting squeaky voice. In the series - "Leopold and the Goldfish", gray already without his headdress. From episodes 3 to 10, gray is already distinguished by its fullness, a deep voice, and white is thin, squeaky. In the first two series, gray is in command, but already from the third series, white breaks out into the lead, and gray obeys him.
"Revenge of Leopold the Cat", "Leopold and the Goldfish" were made using the transfer technique, i.e. heroes, decorations were painted on cut-out pieces of paper and subsequently rearranged under glass. And all the rest were created using the technique of hand-drawn animation.
"Revenge of Leopold the Cat" was released after 1981. "Leopold and the Goldfish", which was created at the same time as the first, appeared in 1978.
Episodes of the animated series:
1.175 - Revenge of Leopold the Cat
2.175 - Leopold and the goldfish
3.181 - Treasure of Leopold the Cat
4.181 - TV Leopold the Cat
5.182 - Walking Leopold the Cat
6.1982 - Leopold's birthday
7.1983 - Summer of Leopold the Cat
8.184 - Leopold the Cat in a dream and in reality
9.1984 - Interview with the cat Leopold
10.1986 - Leopold Cat Clinic
11.1987 - Car Leopold the Cat
voiced
1975 - 1993
Characters
Main characters: Leopold the cat and two mice - Gray and White.
Leopold the Cat
Leopold the Cat lives in house number 8/16 on an unknown street in a provincial (judging by the situation) city. He is portrayed as a typical intellectual: he does not smoke, does not drink, does not raise his voice. Leopold is a real peace-loving cat, and his main credo, repeated at the end of each episode, is "Guys, let's live together." At the same time, in the first three series, Leopold still preliminarily taught the mice a lesson.
Mouse
Series
The first two episodes ("Revenge of Leopold the Cat" and "Leopold and the Golden Fish") were created using the transfer technique: characters and decorations were created on cut-out pieces of paper that were transferred under glass. Further series were realized using hand-drawn animation.
The first was the series "Revenge of the Cat Leopold", but it was released only after 1981. The second series ("Leopold and the Golden Fish"), created in parallel, was released in 1975.
- - Revenge of Leopold the Cat: after another trick of the mice, a doctor came to Leopold the cat, who prescribed Ozverin for him to help him cope with the mice. But Leopold, instead of taking one prescription pill, drank everything at once and went berserk.
- 1975 - Leopold and the goldfish: Leopold the Cat caught the Goldfish, but did not ask her for anything. Later, mice caught the fish, and asked to make them big and scary - but no matter what kind of animal the fish turned them into, they found only problems. Then they ask to turn them back into mice and they end up at Leopold's house. When they break into Leopold's house, he asks Goldfish to make him invisible. The mice are looking for a cat and arrange a pogrom in his house - then Leopold, using his invisibility, scares the mice.
- - Leopold the Cat's Treasure: Mice received a map in the mail with a treasure. In the place indicated on the map, the chest was indeed buried, but it turned out to be not what the mice were expecting.
- 1981 - Leopold the Cat TV: Leopold the cat bought a TV, and the mice are trying with all their might to prevent him from watching his favorite cartoon in peace.
- - Leopold the Cat Walk: Leopold the cat takes a bike ride on a suburban highway, and the mice try to set up an accident for him.
- 1982 - Leopold's birthday: Leopold the cat is preparing to celebrate his birthday, and the mice are trying to ruin his holiday.
- - Summer of Leopold the Cat: Leopold the cat goes to the dacha where the mice are preparing new dirty tricks for him.
- - Leopold the cat in a dream and in reality: Leopold the cat sunbathes and bathes, and the mice try to scare him. When he falls asleep on the beach, he dreams that he is on a desert island.
- 1984 - Interview with Leopold the cat
- - Polyclinic cat Leopold: Leopold the cat goes to the clinic for a medical examination, and the mice are trying to set up another dirty trick for him
- - Leopold the Cat's Car: Leopold the Cat independently built a car equipped with many electronic devices. When Leopold drove out of town, the mice stole the car, but could not figure out all its functions.
In 1993, The Return of Leopold the Cat was made - a parody film created by editing from previous episodes and ironically reinterpreted other cartoons. It included 4 episodes:
- "Just Murka": Film-parody of modern advertising, created on the basis of animated films TO "Screen". The popular actor Leopold the cat fundamentally refuses to appear in commercials. But it is with the help of the charming Murka that the mafia is trying to drag him into the advertising business. Insidious mafiosi collude with famous cat-haters - mice, Gray and White, who are trying to get Leopold to watch commercials on TV. Leopold falls in love with the cat Murka.
- "Every day is not Sunday": Mice, having entered into an agreement with the cat Leopold, spread rumors that Leopold is a racketeer. The cat receives from the mafia Kozebayan an invitation to a social event in the gangster "raspberry", where Leopold hopes to meet Murka.
- "Soup with a cat": Murka and Leopold begin a "happy" family life. Murka makes the cat watch commercials. Leopold agrees to the shooting, but suddenly disappears ... Mafia kidnaps Murka in the hope that Leopold will still go on the air.
- "Puss in Boots": Captain Pronin enters the game and goes to the international mafia. He is helped by the cat Leopold and the cat Murka.
Creators
- Stage Director: Anatoly Reznikov
- Scriptwriter: Arkady Hait
- Composer: Boris Saveliev
Videogames
- Leopold the cat's summer residence or Features of the Mouse Hunt (09/15/1998)
- Leopold the Cat: Catch-up (02.12.2005)
- Leopold the Cat: Learning English (04.02.2009)
- Leopold the Cat: Learning Russian (02/18/2009)
- Leopold the Cat: Leopold the Cat Vacation (11.03.2009)
- Leopold the Cat: Adventures in the Forest (16.09.2009)
Editions
- 1983 - "Guys, let's live together." Songs of Leopold the Cat (music: B. Savelyev, lyrics and lyrics: A. Hait, A. Kalyagin sings and reads, the music is performed by the Melodiya ensemble) - Melodiya, С52 20151 007, С52 20153 001 (on two minion records) ...
- Some episodes parody famous Soviet films. So, in the series "Walking Leopold the Cat" there is an explicit reference to the film "White Sun of the Desert", which parodies the scene of Said Sukhov's digging out. And in the series "Clinic for Leopold the Cat" there is a reference to the film "Operation Y" - the white mouse plans to put the cat to sleep with chloroform, but his gray companion falls asleep.
- In the series "Summer of Leopold the Cat" Leopold uses a Svema spray gun (Shostka chemical plant, which produced films and magnetic tapes), manufactured by Ekran.
- The 2008 Cook Islands' collectible $ 2 silver coin featured the main characters of the animated series.
- The first episode (Revenge of Leopold the Cat) was created in 1975, but was released in 1981. The reason for this was cruelty (Words in the form of blood). The second episode was released in parallel in 1975 (Leopold and the Goldfish), but was also released in 1981.
Notes
In Ukraine, in the city of Komsomolsk, Poltava region, on the street. Lenin 40, a sculpture with the image of Leopold the cat and mice was installed. In Khalobinensk (Krasnoyarsk Territory) there is a monument to Leopold Cat, who holds a white mouse by the tail, and a gray one tries to escape. The car of Leopold the cat looks like a 1979 Ford Mustang, that is, an early example of the 3rd generation, and there is also a similarity to the 3rd generation Chevrolet Camaro. In the series "Leopold the Cat's Car" you can see the Volvo-VESC car. It is interesting that this model was not launched into the series and existed in a single copy. In the series "TV Leopold the Cat" Leopold watches on TV a fragment of the cartoon "Revenge of Leopold the Cat"
N O P R S T U V W X Y ZAll 1970-1979 1980-1989 1990-1994
