Twelve Months (1980 film)
Anja and the Four Seasons ( jap森は生きている, Sekai Meisaku Douwa - Mori wa ikiteiru, such as: the forest lives ) is an anime film from 1980, based on the Russian history of The twelve months Samuil Yakovlevich Marshak. It was produced by Toei Doga studio.
It is a remake of an original Samuil Marshak and by Nikolai Erdmann, which was implemented in 1956 by animation studio Soyuzmultfilm, entitled The twelve months.
Action
Anja lives with her stepmother and her daughter Natasha in a small hut near the forest. The end of December sends the stepmother Anja punishment for that she has once again fed the hungry animals, in order to collect wood in the forest. There she meets a soldier who helps her. To thank Anja leads him to a beautiful pine tree that he should look for the Tsarina. The Empress is barely older than Anja and also an orphan. In one lesson, the Czarina is to want to have snowdrops in the head. Anyone who brings her a basket full of snowdrops, she wants to fill it with gold.
When the step-mother hears this, she sends Anja middle of the night out to look for snowdrops, although just a terrible raging snowstorm. Just before freezing it meets the twelve months. Despite their initial amusement at Anya's task to help her and leave for a brief moment snowdrops bloom. In addition, she receives a ring with which they can call to help their new friends at any time.
The next morning, the step-sister Anja is asleep in her room and steals the ring, while the mother wonders about the flowers. The two go with the basket full of snowdrops to Zarin to pick up the promised reward. But the Empress wants to know where the flowers are to be found before mother and daughter get the reward. But Anja is silent because she has promised the twelve months, not to betray them. As Anja is once again sent into the woods to pick snowdrops, she is haunted by her step sister Natasha. This marks the way with colorful patches. Also known as the Empress after a long march through the forest threatens to throw the stolen ring in a large lake, Anja not divulges the secret. When the ring is actually thrown, Anja calls for their friends, the twelve months, and is carried away by the wind. Within a short time change suddenly from the seasons: in autumn lose all their jackets. As then the winter occurs, the step-mother and her daughter begin to argue a coat and suddenly become dogs. At the same time, the lake disappears, and instead see the Empress and her entourage Anja sitting in a fine fur coat in a noble carriage, surrounded by the twelve months. When the Empress asks them for a coat, Anja allowed it, and as if by magic bears the Czarina a fur coat. With the dogs Anja also has compassion and takes care of her. Together go all in a carriage through the forest back.
Publication
The film was produced in 1980 in collaboration with the animation studio Soyuzmultfilm Soviet by the Japanese studio Toei. The music of Vladimir Grifutsov was played by the Leningrad Philharmonic under AS Dmitriev. The premiere was in Japan on 15 March 1980.
The film was translated among others in French, Spanish and Arabic. The German translation was published in the 80s in the GDR under the title " The twelve months " and in Germany under the title " Anna and the Four Seasons" on ZDF.