| The Snow Queen | |
|---|---|
 American newspaper advertisement | |
| Directed by | Lev Atamanov |
| Written by | Hans Christian Andersen (story) Nikolai Erdman Lev Atamanov Nikolay Zabolotsky (1957 lyrics) Georgy Grebner (ru) |
| Produced by | Lev Atamanov |
| Starring | See voices |
| Edited by | Lidiya Kyaksht |
| Music by | Artemi Ayvazyan |
| Animation by |
|
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Universal-International (U.S.)[1] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 64 minutes |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Language | Russian |
The Snow Queen (Russian:Снежная королева,romanized: Snezhnaya Koroleva) is a 1957Soviet animatedmusicalfantasy film directed byLev Atamanov.[2] It is the ninth full-length animated production bySoyuzmultfilm and is based on the 1844 fable "The Snow Queen" byHans Christian Andersen. The film is one of the earliest cinematic adaptations of the Scandinavian Danish fable since its publication inNew Fairy Tales. First Volume. Second Collection.
The film was originally released in the Soviet Union on November 1, 1957. The film was re-released with an English soundtrack in 1959, 1993, and 1995. The film was translated into several major languages: English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Finnish and Swedish. In 1959, at the height of theCold War,Universal Pictures acquired the film for U.S. theatrical distribution (as the first animated film from Universal).
In foreign dubbings ofThe Snow Queen, popular actors were cast to play most characters. The Snow Queen was voiced by Russian actressMaria Babanova. Vladimir Gribkov (ru),Yanina Zhejmo,Sergey Martinson and Anna Komolova (ru) also were part of the voice cast.
The screenplay was written byNikolai Erdman, Georgy Grebner (ru) and animation by Alexander Vinokurov (ru),Leonid Shvartsman, Elizabeth Komova, Vladimir Krumin andFyodor Khitruk. After a 2007Ghibli Museum Library release in Japan, an interview revealed that the dialogue, compositions, animation and themes of the film influenced Japanese animatorHayao Miyazaki. An HD film restoration re-release ofThe Snow Queen was published in Russia on 19 December 2020 by Soyuzmultfilm.
Two young children, Kai and Gerda, listen to Gerda's grandmother as she tells them the legend of the Snow Queen. Kai jokes that if he met the Queen, he would put her on a hot stove, and melt her. The Snow Queen, who is watching the children in her magic mirror, becomes angry and smashes the mirror with her scepter. She enchants the ice splinters and sends a big snowstorm over the city. A rush of wind changes Kai's heart turning him cruel towards Gerda.
The next day, Kai ties his sled to the sleigh of the Snow Queen, who takes him into her arms as her willing captive. Gerda sets out for the Snow Queen's palace, determined not to give up until she has brought her friend back. Along the way, she meets araven, "Mr. Corax" (Ancient Greek for "raven"). Gerda tells him that she is looking for a "good, kind, brave boy". Mr. Corax tells her that such a boy is now living at the palace of a princess. Mr. Corax takes Gerda to the palace to find his fiancée Henrietta, who knows the palace and can guide Gerda through it. The prince turns out not to be Kai, but he and the princess decide to help Gerda. They send Gerda on her way with a golden coach and attendants.
While the coach travels through a dark woods, a gang of robbers takes Gerda and strip the coach of its gold plate. The daughter of the robber chieftain shows Gerda her menagerie, which contains areindeer fromLapland. The little robber, touched by Gerda's kindness, releases the girl along with the reindeer to search for Kai, and then frees all her captive animals.
Gerda and the reindeer arrive in Lapland, where a Lapp woman tells them that the Snow Queen had stopped there with Kai but went on farther north toFinland. She directs them to her cousin in Finland who can direct them further and writes a letter to her on a fish that she sends with Gerda and the reindeer.
The reindeer is unable to take Gerda up to the ice palace, so Gerda goes on alone. When Gerda finally gets to the palace through the blustery wind and snow, she encounters Kai. Kai rudely asks Gerda to leave, which brings her to tears. She hugs him, and her tears melt the shard of mirror in his heart. Kai cries, which causes a second shard to fall out of his eye, breaking the spell. When the Snow Queen returns to the palace, Gerda rebuffs her, and the Queen simply disappears, along with her Palace. The children return home happily, meeting all those who helped them reunite along the way.
The Snow Queen was released in the Soviet Union on 1 November 1957. The film is one of the first adaptations of the Danish fairy tale into cinematic media ever since the story was written by Andersen inNew Fairy Tales. First Volume. Second Collection (1844).[3] Previously playwrightEvgeny Schwartz inspired by the Andersen's writing wrote an acclaimed children's playThe Snow Queen that was staged in 1938.[4] The era at that time was known as theKhrushchev Thaw, when the Soviet people were welcoming a new post-World War 2 era that spanned all phases of life including cinema. The film was released just a few days after the Soviet Union witnessed the world's first artificial satelliteSputnik 1 that launched in October 1957.[5][6]
In 1959, the film was dubbed into English and released byUniversal Pictures with the voices ofSandra Dee andTommy Kirk as Gerda and Kai.[7][8] The film was introduced by a six-minute live-action Christmas prologue featuring TV personalityArt Linkletter, as well as a two-minute montage.[9] In the prologue, Linkletter recited the following rhyme just before the film began: "One snowflake two/three snowflakes four/And now you'll see 'The Snow Queen'/if you add a million more." The American version also contained an entirely rewritten musical score and had three new songs in English, two of which replaced the Russian songs (the other one was in the montage).[10] Hollywood Russian composer Joseph Gershenson composed the score for the 1959 film.[11]
A U.S. theatrical release of a film from the Soviet Union was a revolutionary moment in the history of theCold War due to thegeopolitical tension between the countries.[12] At this time, the United States was committed to sustaining the Cold War. Under presidentEisenhower, theNew Look policy advised by Secretary of StateJohn Foster Dulles called for resistance to cultural influences from the Soviet Union.[13][14] The visit by Vice PresidentRichard Nixon and Soviet leaderNikita Khrushchev to theAmerican National Exhibition on 24 July 1959 was supposed to lower Cold War tensions by opening cultural exchanges across the two nations, though their discussion at the exhibition became known asthe Kitchen Debate.[15] During this cultural rapprochement, leaders were aware ofsecret U-2 incursions into USSR airspace. Despite theDomino TheoryThe Snow Queen raised theiron curtain, by becoming the first purchase of a Soviet film by any major American company. M.J.P. Enterprises sold the rights of the movie toUniversal for a reported fee of $30,000. It became Universal Pictures' first theatricalanimated feature film. Universal had been distributing the output ofWalter Lantz since 1929, with Lantz having proposed a feature film based on the story of Aladdin which, should it have been finished, would’ve been Universal's first animated film. On 7 June 1959,The New York Times reported Universal's plan for a major release across Canada and the U.S. for an Englishdub of the film with an addedprologue.[16] In June 1959,The Hollywood Reporter noted that, in order to allow Universal to release the picture in America, Walt Disney andSamuel Goldwyn both waived the rights they held with theMPAA to the title "The Snow Queen." The film entered theVancouver International Film Festival on 3 August 1959 and Universal ran the picture at theSan Francisco International Film Festival in November 1959.[17]
The film's general release was initially planned for the 1959 holidays. However, Columbia's animated feature1001 Arabian Nights was scheduled for a December release. Therefore, its wide release started in the United States on 20 November 1959.[18]
In Washington, D.C., in April 1960, Idaho Democratic SenatorFrank Church hosted an invitational screening of the film at theMotion Picture Association headquarters in Washington D.C, attended by the Ambassador of Denmark. There the film was applauded for its literary appeal to the city's many Danish residents and because its animation techniques resembled those used by Disney.[17] With many adaptations following the release, the 1959 version is the definitive version for the 1960s audience. Manyboomers from America remember the festive TV season featuringThe Snow Queen.[19]
Variety estimatedThe Snow Queen and another Soviet import,The Sword and the Dragon earned an estimated $1.3 million in the US.[20]
In 1985, Jim Terry produced an English dub that was released by Celebrity Home Entertainment in 1993. The theme song for the dub was provided by Bullets. The main characters Gerda and Kai's names were changed to Yvette and John.[21]
In 1995, there was a second international release that was restored and re-voiced by the Films by Jove company which was run byOleg Vidov.[8] They restored the film and created a new English soundtrack for it, featuring the voices ofKathleen Turner,Mickey Rooney,Kirsten Dunst andLaura San Giacomo. It was shown on television as part of the "Mikhail Baryshnikov'sStories from My Childhood series, and was later released on video and DVD in 1999. French and Spanish soundtracks were added for the DVD version, with the French soundtrack featuringCatherine Deneuve and the Spanish track featuringBeatriz Aguirre. Following criticism of the non-inclusion of the Russian-language soundtrack on the DVD, Films by Jove also released a DVD of the film containing the original Russian-language soundtrack with English subtitles sometime in 2006.[22]
| English | Russian | |
|---|---|---|
| Director | Lev Atamanov Nikolay Fyodorov (uncredited in 1959) | Лев Атаманов Николай Фёдоров |
| Story | Hans Christian Andersen | Ганс Христиан Андерсен |
| Scenario | Nikolai Erdman Lev Atamanov Georgy Grebner [ru] (uncredited in 1959) | Николай Эрдман Лев Атаманов Георгий Гребнер |
| Writers (1959 only) | Bob Fisher Alan Lipscott | |
| Art Directors | Leonid Shvartsman Alexander Vinokurov | Леонид Шварцман Александр Винокуров |
| Artists | Dmitriy Anpilov O. Gemmerling Irina Svetlitsa [ru] Pyotr Korobayev | Дмитрий Анпилов О. Геммерлинг Ирина Светлица Пётр Коробаев |
| Animators | Lidiya Reztsova [ru] Renata Mirenkova [ru] Yelena Khludova Gennadiy Novozhilov [ru] Konstantin Chikin [ru] Yelizaveta Komova Vadim Dolgikh Tatyana Fyodorova Vladimir Krumin Fyodor Khitruk Viktor Lihachev Igor Podgorskiy | Лидия Резцова Рената Миренкова Елена Хлудова Геннадий Новожилов Константин Чикин Елизавета Комова Вадим Долгих Татьяна Фёдорова Владимир Крумин Фёдор Хитрук Виктор Лихачев Игорь Подгорский |
| Camera Operator | Mikhail Druyan [ru] | Михаил Друян |
| Executive Producer | Fyodor Ivanov | Фёдор Иванов |
| Composer | Artemi Ayvazyan (original version only) Joseph Gershenson (1959 only) Frank Skinner (1959 only) | Артемий Айвазян |
| Sound Operator | Nikolai Prilutskiy | Николай Прилуцкий |
| Editor | Lidiya Kyaksht (1957 only) Hugo Grimaldi (1959 only) | Лидия Кякшт |
| Lyrics | Nikolay Zabolotsky (1957 only) Mikhail Svetlov (1957 only) | Николай Заболоцкий М. Светлов |
| Character | Original version (Russian)[28] | 1959 Universal version (English)[29] | 1985 Jim Terry version (English) | 1995 Jove Films version (English)[30] | German version[31] | Swedish version[32] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ol Dreamy (Оле-Лукойе) | Vladimir Gribkov [ru] (Владимир Грибков) | Paul Frees | Jan Rabson | Mickey Rooney | Paul Lewitt [de] | Hans Lindgren |
| A small wizard who helps you fall asleep. | ||||||
| Gerda (Ivett) (Герда) | Yanina Zhejmo (Янина Жеймо) | Sandra Dee | Barbara Goodson | Kirsten Dunst | Heidi Weigelt [de] | Gunilla Larsen |
| A girl who thinks of Kai wholeheartedly. Goes on a journey in search of the kidnapped Kai. | ||||||
| Kai (John) (Кай) | Anna Komolova [ru] (Анна Комолова) | Tommy Kirk | Mona Marshall | David Morse | Hartmut Becker | Agneta Bolme-Börjefors |
| A childhood friend and sweetheart of Gerda. A piece of ice pierces his eyes and the heart, turning it into a cold heart. | ||||||
| The Snow Queen (Снежная королева) | Maria Babanova (Мария Бабанова) | Louise Arthur | Mona Marshall | Kathleen Turner | Maria Kühne | Marina Bennet |
| Queen and ruler of the Winter World. Lives in the ice palace of the Northern Country. | ||||||
| The Robber Girl (Shee) (Маленькая разбойница) | Galina Kozhakina [ru] (Галина Кожакина) | Patty McCormack | Mona Marshall | Laura San Giacomo | Erica Trumpf | Gunilla Larsen |
| The daughter of the bandits who attacked Gerda in the middle of the journey. | ||||||
| The Princess (Принцесса) | Tatiana Linnik (Татьяна Линник) | Joyce Terry | Mona Marshall | Lalainia Lindbjerg | Gunilla Larsen | |
| Finnish Woman (Финка) | Maria Sinelnikova [ru] (Мария Синельникова) | June Foray | Mona Marshall | Shirley Millner | ||
| The Raven (Ворон) | Sergey Martinson (Сергей Мартинсон) | Paul Frees | Jan Rabson | Donald Bishop | Hannes W. Braun [de] | Sten Carlberg [sv] |
| Court Raven (female) (Ворона) | Yelena Ponsova [ru] (Елена Понсова) | June Foray | Mona Marshall | Kathleen Barr | Gunnel Odén | |
| The Prince (Принц) | Vera Bendina [ru] (Вера Бендина) | Dick Beals | Jan Rabson | Jason Gray-Stanford | Gunnel Odén | |
| Old Robber (female) (Старая разбойница) | Yudif Glizer [ru] (Юдифь Глизер) | June Foray | Mona Marshall | Don Brown | Maude Adelson [sv] | |
| Laplander Woman (Лапландка) | Yudif Glizer [ru] (Юдифь Глизер) | June Foray | Mona Marshall | Kathleen Barr | ||
| Granny (Бабушка) | Vera Popova [ru] (Вера Попова) | Lillian Buyeff | Mona Marshall | Maxine Miller | Bella Waldritter [de] | Maude Adelson [sv] |
| Deer (Олень) | Aleksey Konsovsky (Алексей Консовский) | Paul Frees | Jan Rabson | Don Brown | Sten Carlberg [sv] | |
| Old Fairy (Старая фея) | Irina Murzaeva (Ирина Мурзаева) | June Foray | Mona Marshall | Kathleen Barr | ||
| Christmas prologue | n/a | Art Linkletter Billy Booth Rickey Busch Jennie Lynn Tammy Marihugh | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Prominent Soviet artists took part in the creation ofThe Snow Queen film that used traditional hand-drawn animation.[10] The makers ofThe Scarlet Flower,Golden Antelope (1954 Film) [ru] andDog and Cat (1955 Film) [ru] joined to create the various settings such as the Northern German town, the Royal castle, the robber's cave and the snowy expanses of the Queen's domain into one united fairy tale film.[33] Russian poet and children's writerNikolay Zabolotsky wrote the poems for the soundtrack. PlaywrightNikolai Erdman was one of the script writers. The fairy tale deviated slightly from Andersen's story by editing out the religious undertones as well as time-based events of the characters such as Raven's old age and the litter robber, Gerda and Kai turning into adults.[34] However, the script is similar to Andersen's fairy tale in the utilization of theframe story. The characterOle Lukøje the dreamer narrates the story of Gerda in a Nordic town under a "slumberella." The script also narrates Gerda's quest to rescue Kai in a series of scenarios or chapters exactly as the format in the fairy tale.[35]
Animators Alexander Vinokurov (ru) created the world ofThe Snow Queen,Leonid Shvartsman created the characters, whileFyodor Khitruk brought to life two characters – Ole Lukøje and the Snow Queen. The team was held in place by the direction ofLev Atamanov. Fyodor Khitruk later recalled bringing to life the character Ole Lukoye, as one of the most significant characters of the two hundred characters he animated over his many years of practice.[36]
According to the memoirs ofLeonid Shvartsman the animators found new hope for the animation industry after theKhruschev Thaw era began. Initially, they thought of drawing inspiration by going toCopenhagen in Denmark, the land where Andersen wroteNew Fairy Tales. First Volume. Second Collection (1844). However the route to Western Europe and the Danish lands was closed in the mid-1950s due to theiron curtain.[6] As an alternative, they went toRiga,Tallinn andTartu along the Baltic states. A stay of two weeks drawing the streets and corners of the towns provided the groundwork for production of the film. The city square in the film is modeled after the city ofTallinn.[36] From the fall of 1955 to the early summer of 1956 storyboards were prepared. It took a year and a half to complete the film.[6] In 1956, before the release ofThe Snow Queen, the artists released a series of postcards of the drawings related to this event.[36]
The animators took a new approach to drawing the Snow Queen. They emphasized the spectral presence of the Snow Queen by using the animation technique known asrotoscoping or "éclair" named after the table manufacturer company of the same name. Éclair used anepidiascope that would be fixed on one side of a furniture equipment provided by furniture company Éclair and the screen projector was fixed on the other side.[37] As one of the acclaimed actress of Soviet Union,Maria Babanova and a few other cast members was cinematographically filmed as if the actors are in live performance with makeup and costume. Then the film footage is transferred to celluloid with some corrections. The role of the Snow Queen would resemble the mannerisms and unique qualities of the actress as the film footage is translated into frame-by-frame drawings.[36][38]Yanina Zhejmo, acclaimed actress of the Russian musicalCinderella (1947) got the role to play Gerda.
According toLeonid Shvartsman work forThe Snow Queen lasted two years. The animators researched at theLenin Library. The studio would be filled with thousands of drawings every day that had to be checked and corrected. Shvartsman explains as one of the creators of the Snow Queen, she was supposed to represent cold beauty of the ice world - "In this case, there was no prototype. I imagined a majestic, cold beauty." The character was modeled as if sculpted by stone. Additionally, Maria Babanova's voice became a fitting addition to the character the Snow Queen. The character Ole Lukøje was first based on the seven dwarfs in the filmSnow White. However, Shvartsman later drew the character as a caricature of director Lev Atamanov. According to the animator, the most exciting concept about character animation is how the pencil leads the hand to different rough drafts that eventually shape into a new character.[37]
Akagi Kanzaki [ja], children's literature critic of Japan, stated the "gradations of the various blues are exquisite and beautiful" featured in the episode at the snow palace. Also Kanzaki pointed out the "movements of the people are calculated very well, especially since it is coming from a country known for classical ballet!"[39] The animators explained the finale, when the characters Gerda and Kai set off back to their homeland on a reindeer and greet all the people is a homage by the animators to the Russian people.[6]
Takuya Mori for theEiga Hyouron (Film Criticism) statedThe Snow Queen is similar to the films of Disney. However, the animation rebounds to new levels compared to Disney's precedentSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Both films employed the use of painterly backgrounds and flat planes. One way Soyuzmultfilm'sThe Snow Queen differs from Disney productions is through their depiction of death or elements of suffering. The insertions giveThe Snow Queen juxtapositions of the grotesque and the charm of an original fairy tale story.[40] The depictions aren't intended to be disturbing. In order to emphasize the innocent nature of the film, all the antagonists including the Snow Queen are depicted as people who never become malevolent.[41]
Lev Atamanov, the animation director forThe Snow Queen created a new form of animation that emphasized the fairy tale qualities (Russian:сказочность,romanized: Skazochnost') and artistry of animation (Russian:условность,romanized: Uslovnost’). Rather than completely fill the frames with photo realistic representations of the world by using the rotoscoping technique known as éclair widely used by Disney, Atamanov and the Soviet animators presented the world through the lens of artistic creativity and the subtle qualities that differentiate the magical qualities of animation from the real world. The film used minimal rotoscoping only used for the Snow Queen and a few other characters. Instead the animation style emphasized creativity. Atamanov states for a fairy tale film likeThe Snow Queen, it is imperative to retainskazochnost': "Animation is characterized by wide generalization, careful selection and, most importantly, grotesque exaggeration. Therein lies its power, its genuine realism. By breaking the laws of art, we inevitably slip into tired verisimilitude, which we often attempt to pass off as realism, even though it has nothing to do with either the truth of art or the truth of life."[42]
Atamanov also is keen to retainuslovnost’ or the artistry of animation of an animation frame by focusing on the aspects of the background or characters and exploring new traits within the frame that disassociates itself from its exact representation in the world.[42] The animators elicits emotions into the frames such as removing shadows from the faces and bringing new dimensions to the characters such as the Snow Queen's henchmen drawn in toy-like fashion.[5]
The film has won many international awards including the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and the animation award at the Cannes Film Festival.[43][44][45]
The central theme of the film is how "even an icy heart can be melted." Only the main character Gerda is capable of wielding this power ofreconciliation and repentance as she roams the icy lands of the Snow Queen to save her kidnapped friend.[52] A metaphor that relates to the theme of reconciliation is when the character robber, a short-tempered animal hunter of deer, hares, foxes meets Gerda. The little robber, amazed by Gerda's kindness, releases the girl along with the reindeer, and then frees all her captive animals.[41][53]
The film juxtaposes Gerda's purity with macabre elements in two episodes where Gerda meets the magician at the garden of eternal summer and Gerda's misadventure with Mr. Corax the raven. The film's central conflict revolves around the power of love and purity solving the problem of the detachment of the soul. The conflict is described at the meeting of the characters Gerda and Kai at the snow palace, where Kai remarks at the snow polygons and states, "beautiful, they are more beautiful than real flowers!"[35] The film's array of miracles has a finale with the last one emphasizing the theme that the power of life overcomes death.[54]
The film delve on the power of catharsis and emotions to dissipate the troubles and challenges facing society. The emotional effects of love and tears are used as the primary tools of defense by the protagonists as Kai's tears are able to dislodge the glass splinter and Gerda's love causes the Snow Queen to flee back to the snowy lands.[5] Furthermore, a critique fromEiga Hyouron in Japan, stated what the film lacks in comedy is supplemented by a poetic exhibition of Russian animation. The reviewer finds the film is like Russia is trying to "yearn for Spring" through the powerful effects of "single-minded love" against the snow.[55]
Film critic L. Zakrzhevskaya argued that the cartoonThe Snow Queen is certainly one of the best examples of world classic animation.[56] Soviet animation directorIvan Ivanov-Vano wrote that "the filmThe Snow Queen is one of the masterpieces of our cartoon classics."[57]The New York Times reviewerBosley Crowther for the 1960 release of the film in United States was at first surprised that the film is from the Soviet Union and later is astounded by the similarity of Soyuzmultfilm's animation techniques with those of Disney studio. The review states, "To look at and listen to 'The Snow Queen,' which arrived in neighborhood theaters yesterday, you would never dream that this color cartoon feature was made in a Soviet Union studio." The reviewer reasoned that the "Russians love a hopeful fairy tale, tinged with white doves and bouncy bunny rabbits, as much as anyone at the Disney studio." The review stated the film had the same qualities asSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs.[58]
German review atDie Nacht der lebenden Texte stated, "Fairy tale adaptation from the Soviet Union is a beautiful old-fashioned color on the children's film shelf."[59] Review atFantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings, state, "This Russian animated movie version of a Hans Christian Andersen tale does that very well, and though I’ve heard that it's better in its original language, the dubbed American version is very effective."[60]Flickers in Time review state, "This is a beautifully animated retelling of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale."[61] Sabrina Crivelli ofIl Cineocchio reviews stated out of allThe Snow Queen adaptations, Lev Atamanov's "Soviet one remained faithful to her in plot and spirit, and details are far from indifferent." The reviewer also applauded the film's juxtapositions of the different characters including Gerda take on a spectral tone: "On the other hand, it is precisely this that makesThe Snow Queen so poetic, the ability to trace through the wonderful drawings by, among others, made by the greatFyodor Khitruk; the extreme beauty – and ugliness – of the creation, the continuous contradictions that characterize human existence."[35]
Reviewers and critics from Japan had positive reviews for the film. Takuya Mori for theEiga Hyouron (Film Criticism) emphasized the Japanese viewpoint of the film once it released in 1960. The critique of the film in‘The Genealogy of Soviet Animated Films: Focus on the Masterpiece The Snow Queen’ stated Mori was moved by the animation despite seeing the film in a black and white television screen:
"The Snow Queen, I will daringly call it a gem – one that was first entrenched in Walt Disney, but then melted, and from which a new, single crystal was extracted. This is no longer something borrowed from America. It lacks comedic gags, and even a sense of rhythm, but this is no drawback, for gags and rhythm are not necessary to produce physiological pleasure . . . In the clear air of our neighbor to the North, the climate is harsh. But it is exactly the theme of this story that is able to melt snow with a single-minded love . . .and this because she [Russia] yearns for Spring."[62][55]
Ghibli Museum Library states the movie is akin to amyth: "This work, which was produced under the auspices of the Soviet government at the time and in a system unrelated to commercialism, is a solid story structure that focuses only on Gerda, the main character, by removing useless episodes, and it is also likely that the interpretation unique to Russia is projected, such as the idea of animism and reverence for nature. Even though it is a work of the previous 50 years, it still does not lose its luster."[54]
Akagi Kanzaki [ja], children's literature critic of Japan stated the film adaptation is clear and coherent along many fronts in comparison to Andersen's story: "Therefore, the story is much more consistent and clearer than the Andersen version." The detour of Gerda's original sedate personality to a courageous determined one was a new innovation that the reviewer thought, "will be the starting point for Miyazaki anime." The reviewer found the episode where Gerda encounters the bandits was an episode that clearly delineated Andersen's thought process as he wrote the fairy tale.[39] Singer songwriterHiroko Taniyama [ja] says the film delves into philosophical narratives that is surprising for a fifty-year old Soviet film. Taniyama also stated based on animation the use of green and red colors were astounding and the animation was flowing "like waves."[63]
“"Snedroningen is proof of how much love can be invested in the act of making drawings move, and how much the movement of drawings can be subliminated into the process of acting. It proves that when it comes to depicting simple yet strong, powerful, piercing emotions in an earnest and pure fashion, animation can fully hold its own with the best of what other media genres can offer, moving us powerfully."”
Shortly after the release ofSnezhnaya Koroleva in Russia, the film received warm response from the Japanese audience. Released asYuki no Joou in 1960, the film screened in Japan via film distributors tied with the Soviet Union and screened in television.[64] An elite Japanese film journalEiga Hyouron (Film Criticism) devoted a record fourteen pages for the film critique.[62]
For many years the film aired on TV on New Year's holidays in Japan.[65] AnimatorHayao Miyazaki saw the film while he was at the union atToei Animation. Hayao Miyazaki stated that this film is one of his inspirations. When he started his career, Miyazaki had a rough start and was thinking of leaving animation. When he sawThe Snow Queen, it inspired him to continue working in animation.[66]
The Soviet film is said to be Miyazaki's true inspiration for animation as Miyazaki himself claimed, "The Snow Queen is my destiny and my favorite film."[67][68] According to Miyazaki, Japanese animation was starting to develop at that time period. Therefore, Miyazaki was moved by the animation techniques ofThe Snow Queen such as the snow swirling in the distance or waves crashing at the ice palace.[69] Miyazaki's inspiration quotation states, "I started working as a new animator for Toei Animation in 1963, but I frankly didn't enjoy my job at all. I felt ill at ease every day – I couldn't understand the works we were producing, or even the proposals we were working on . . . Had I not one day seenSnedronningen (The Snow Queen) during a film screening hosted by the company labor union, I honestly doubt that I would have continued working as an animator."[64]
In September 2007, it was announced thatStudio Ghibli will be distributingThe Snow Queen through theirGhibli Museum Library label and it was released in December 2007 (in the original Russian audio with Japanese subtitles).[26] The same time Ghibli releasedThe Snow Queen, they also released the 1976 filmThe Steadfast Tin Soldier byLev Milchin.[70] Ghibli Museum stated, "It is not an exaggeration to say that the starting point of Hayao Miyazaki is here (The Snow Queen)."[54]
In a 2007 interview, Miyazaki stated the film's animation, story, and language greatly influenced his training and work. The symbolism and metaphors of the film particularly stood out to the animator. Miyazaki noted that the scene when Gerda goes to the barren lands to help Kai while barefoot represents the purity of Gerda's soul. Miyazaki particularly liked how the creators mixed myths and fairy tales in the film. According to Miyazaki, the story of the barefoot heroine giving up her shoes to the river is the embodiment of an ideal hero or heroine who sacrifices for other's sake. Furthermore, the animator asserts animation is animism. As a testament to this theory, Miyazaki recounts the scene in the film when the boat magically unties and floats back when Gerda gave her shoes to the river. Miyazaki concluded the interview by stating, he is working on an animated film whose character Ponyo is similar to Gerda who will be featured in the film of thesame name.[71][53]
In a 2021 interviewHayao Miyazaki citedThe Snow Queen as an influence.[72]
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The 1997 Japanese award-winning filmPrincess Mononoke stands out as Miyazaki's version ofThe Snow Queen. According to research in theanthologyIntroducing Studio Ghibli's Monster Princess: From Mononokehime to Princess Mononoke by film historian Julia Alekseyeva, many familiar patterns are apparent between the two films. Both films try to exhibit "emotional and affective realism." Affective realism was an innovative take on animation in the twentieth century that emphasize the exhibition of emotions. Many of the characters inPrincess Mononoke have an uncanny and spectral uniformity to the characters inThe Snow Queen.Princess Mononoke can be seen as a tribute by Miyazaki to the Soviet Union film.[73]
Princess Mononoke, theMuromachi periodepic film of youngEmishi prince Ashitaka is similar toThe Snow Queen by the depiction of its characters. Out of all the similarities, the eponymous character San, ofPrincess Mononoke stands out as the direct link toThe Snow Queen. San who is depicted as a young woman who was raised by the wolves and is isolated from humans, but eventually comes to take care of the main character Ashitaka. San is a direct link to the robber girl inThe Snow Queen, who is described as the warden of captured wild animals who takes care of Gerda. In terms of appearance the "short, dark hair in disarray, stern expressions, and dark eyes" of both characters as well as their mannerisms is similar to an inhabitant of the wilderness. Despite their background and unsympathetic, serious nature both characters are willing to help the protagonists.[74]
Other similarities include the characteristics between Lady Eboshi and the Snow Queen. Both queens are drawn to be tall and their beauty is emphasized. The Snow Queen has heavily painted eyes and eyelashes and Lady Eboshi has her characteristic red lipstick.The Snow Queen's cast of female side characters such as the robber girl or the female raven represent strong-willed, steadfast, virtuous characteristics and is seen as a new aspect in twentieth century animation. Miyazaki would apply this viewpoint into his craft evidenced by the many films that feature heroines. InThe Snow Queen, the arctic reindeer who carries Gerda in theLaplands is similar to Ashitaka's faithful steed, the red elk Yakul inPrincess Mononoke.[75]
Thematically, both protagonists of the film, San and Gerda are characterized as stewards of nature while at the same time being human. The concept is explored inPrincess Mononoke when San orMononokehime in Japanese meaning ‘spirit princess’ can directly communicate with animals. Another similar characteristic is when Ashitaka the prince also has the ability to be in harmony with the nature's inhabitants. The concept is explored InThe Snow Queen, when the film portrays Gerda as a traveler who couldn't have reached the snow palace if it weren't for her harmonious communication with all the animals of the forest such as swallows, goats, crows, doves and reindeer. The scene when she offers her shoes to the river and the river guides her to the correct path emphasizes the cognition of nature towards its hosts.[76]
The antagonists of both films are never depicted as violent beings, but only as misguided characters. The concept is explored inThe Snow Queen, when the queen keeps Kai safe in the palace. InPrincess Mononoke, the concept is explored when Lady Eboshi gives care to the lepers whom she employs as gunsmiths.[41] Both Hayao Miyazaki and Lev Atamanov shared the same vision of animation. They treated animation as a medium to move the audience based on the inherent artistry of an animation frame. They tried to unearth theskazochnost' of a frame such as a sequence in a ballet dance.[42]
Both films depict the subtle difference between children and adults. Both directors of the films emphasize the extraordinary abilities that children have in comparison to the ordinary lifestyle of adults imposed by the rule of law and order. Gerda usesanimism as a means to continue on the journey. The theme is a reference to another of Ghibli's productions,House Hunting.House Hunting the movie, follows the journeys of an ambitious preteen girl, Fuki who strolls in the Japanese wilderness. The story line of the film that describes how Fuki's childish rituals such as offerings of food and gifts to nature that converts the threatening places to friendly havens is similar to the scene inThe Snow Queen where Gerda offers her shoes to the river. Both film depict nature has a tendency to connect and aid both the protagonists on their journey. Both stories highlight the sublime qualities of children behavior that otherwise would be considered unrealistic in a world of law.[77] For a fairy tale report byKomsomolskaya Pravda, psychologist Oksana Tsevtkova states many children unlike adults perceive fairy tales such asThe Snow Queen into the realm of fantasy without rationalizing the exact nature of the fairy tale into reality. Children often find the fairy tales as simply happy entertainment.[78]
The Snow Queen became one of the pillars in the twentieth century animation industry. According toKino-expert, it is the most popular Soviet animation that stands alongside other legends that includeNu, Pogodi! (Well, Just You Wait!).[79] The film was not only well received by children and adults in Russia but has also been translated into English, French, German, Italian, Spanish etc. It is arguably the most famous Soviet cartoon outside the Soviet Union.[80] One testament to its popularity is its influence in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s. The film would air in the Christmas and new year television prime time slots.[79]
Ballet dancerMikhail Baryshnikov included the cartoon in his list of favorite cartoon; published in the autobiography,Stories From My Childhood.[38] Literary critic Stas Tyrkin compiled a list of the fifteen best full-length cartoons andThe Snow Queen became part of the list.[81]Komsomolskaya Pravda rating of the ten best cartoons in Russia compiled from a survey of cinematic media website stores nominatedThe Snow Queen as part of its rankings.[51]Ministry of Culture listed the film as one of fifty recommended cartoons to watch for schoolchildren.[82]
The film's legacy is entrenched to the 21st century through its recognition at the 2003 International Laputo Animation Film Festival held in Tokyo, Japan. Over 140 animators and film critics compiled a list of the 150 best animated films of the world.The Snow Queen became the 17th best animated film with the best film being the Russian filmHedgehog in the Fog.[83][84]
On 23 December 2011, the state gallery onSolyanka, Russia opened an exhibition,The Snow Queen 55-Cold and Beauty dedicated to the 55th anniversary of the release of the film and the 90th anniversary of one of its creators Alexander Vinokurov.[38] On 6 October 2012, there was an original35 mm film widescreen release in the cinema "Neva" in Russia. Director Lev Atamanov's daughter Anna Lvovna Atamanova attended the exhibition that included screenings of rare sketches for the cartoon. The event was organized by Big Cartoon Festival and the State Film Museum.[85] In 2013, Big Cartoon Festival hosted sketches of the film as part of the 100th anniversary of Russian animation.[86] The exhibition also toured Japanese cities.[87]
In 2015, TV Magazine Russia listed the film as a classic of the USSR cinema industry.[88] In 2020, they also compiled a list of the most famous Russian films of the twentieth century outside Russia, andThe Snow Queen was on the list.[89] In 2020, Maria Lemesheva, Editor-in-Chief and editorial director ofKinoreporter magazine compiled a list of five acclaimed cartoons for Children's Day andThe Snow Queen was one of them.[90]
In 2018, Soyuzmultfilm restored the video quality ofThe Snow Queen as part of its grand project to restore films from its Golden Collection.[92] Archivists restored the film manually: carefully digitized the original film negative, cleaned every frame that had dust, scratches, tears. They also used rotoscoping technology, in which characters are separated from the background for separate cleaning and restoration of all elements of the frame.Yandex partnered with Soyuzmutlfilm to apply a new Russian technology to the archive cinema reels. Aneural network restoration technology was used to increase the sharpness and resolution of the frames. The film stock were renewed with all thefilm grain and extra flickering dots removed. The side by side comparison of a frame ofThe Snow Queen was shown.[93] The restored Golden Collection films includingThe Snow Queen was released to the theaters on 5 December 2020. The HD revival screenings are distributed by United Network "Cinema Park."[91]
Russia honored thePeople's Artist of Russia animator for the film,Leonid Shvartsman on 30 August 2020 on his 100th year birthday milestone. Interviews fromTASS as well as Kino Teatr gave the readers insight into the history of the animator whose work not only spansThe Snow Queen but alsoCheburashka.[65] Shvartsman explained that he is pleased by the popularity ofThe Snow Queen in audiences to this day.[94] With the support of theMinistry of Culture an exhibition dedicated to thecentennial of the animator, opened inSaint Petersburg at the Berthold Center on 28 November 2020.[95][96]
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