Peter & the Wolf

I saw this film almost by accident, and I am very grateful. Everything to the last detail is meticulously cared for. The puppets are incredibly detailed, the animation perfectly done, the lighting excellent and the acting superb. But most of all, the story... this story has a little but very meaningful twist at the end and still manages to be true to the original. Disney's Peter and the Wolf may be cute and charming, but lacks the depth of this masterpiece. Tempelton's Peter has some strong personality and penetrating eyes. Some people might find it slow, but only if they want to watch everything move at the pace of Fairly Odd Parents. I'm glad I lived to see this work and I hope many people has the opportunity and disposition to watch this.

I loved this, watched with my 8 year old daughter. It has laughs and suspense and sadness and happiness.

The animation is incredible, especially the cat, and the characters are so endearing.

I enjoy having films for my daughter that aren't filled with inane dialogue and cute little witticisms, as there are really so few nowadays that are really funny for kids. She enjoyed just watching and listening to the music, as she was able to comment on what was happening, or what she thought of the characters, without being afraid of missing a line.

We recommend it to all.

This one might be controversial. In a time when animation studios like Pixar or DreamWorks create tons of successful high-budget animation films with lots of action and tension in it, one might wonder if there's still a place for films like these. Well, in my opinion, those are two very different animals. If you want action and suspense and you don't care about anything else, then go see "Toy Story 3" or "The Incredibles" and forget about this one.

This story is from a time when nothing of the above-mentioned existed and people weren't dreaming of flying superheroes. This is a down-to- earth picture which deals with philosophical issues, without being pretentious and without demanding to much of its viewers.

This particular realisation of that powerful and touching story is perfect in every way. Wonderful figures, a great attention to detail and an adequate rendition of Prokofiev's Suite altogether create a very genuine "Russian atmosphere". It is a true masterpiece and definitely deserves a wider audience.

I saw Peter & the Wolf at its world premier in the Royal Albert Hall, accompanied by the Philharmonia orchestra. That's an electric experience that will be hard to duplicate… But it certainly won't detract from watching the film in future. Is it a re-imagining of P&TW, a reinterpretation, or a modernisation? Actually, it's all three. Peter's stamping ground is visualised in a depressed, cold and windswept forest somewhere in Eastern Europe; it's hard to tell if it's pre or post Soviet economic bloc. It could be any time, and that is the first great achievement of the film. Peter is a wan, pale and sullen young boy, garbed in hoody and dirty trousers, a stroppy kid, the type who lives down the road – yet his surroundings are timeless. It raises the themes of conflict between rural and urban, youth and age and cruelty and compassion with great dexterity. It's an adaptation that speaks both to the past and the present, which is no mean feat.

The plot is well-known and well-worn: the down-trodden Peter escapes the confines of grim homestead and taciturn, unsentimental grand-pappy with his pet duck and a bird with a broken wing (supported by a balloon, in a very nice touch) to go playing in the unbounded, frosty woods. Until the wolf creeps in. After suffering a great loss at the wolf's paws, Peter must rise to the occasion and capture the beast, who is much stronger and more ferocious than Peter is, but less clever… A rites of passage tale and an introduction to the orchestra for children, this version is actually quite gruelling in some respects. Impoverished and inhospitable, Peter's home life is plausibly miserable, and also easy to relate to: his run-ins with better clothed-and-fed peers and ugly hunters convey beautifully the threat of bullies and ignorant adults. Sharp and clever, but morose, Peter is a compelling hero, and the coda with him standing triumphant and grown, will provoke cheering and a quickened heartbeat.

The stop-motion animation is far less slick than that seen in Wallace and Gromit, but extends a naturalistic, un-burnished and at times almost ghoulish appeal. The slightly jerky movements, warped faces and grimy sets combine to create a world at once familiar yet also deformed, blighted by neglect and insensitivity. The animation also works amazingly well with the music, the movements of people and animals alike assuming the beats, leaps and whirls of the instruments. I guess you could call this a true musical, because while the characters may not leap into spontaneous song and dance, the music actually speaks for them. I'm not much of a music critic, nor do I know Sergei Prokofiev's piece (or any of his music, for that matter) at all well, but I still loved the soundtrack. It did sound modern, and had obviously adapted and moulded to fit the film with small nuances and flourishes, but I'm sure Prokofiev would have approved.

Considering the applause the film got, I'm certain no one else minded either.

I recently caught the PBS showing of this Oscar winning short and was engrossed by the terrific stop motion puppet animation. It is among the finest animation I've seen and shows animators are still using many of the old techniques (non computerized) to good use.

Not only was the animation first rate, but I felt it offered a perfect accompaniment to Sergei Prokofiev's composition. I have fond memories listening to Peter and the Wolf as a child on my parent's record player. This adaptation provides a wonderful visual for the story that I only could imagine as a youth.

I also found the additional filmmaker's comments on how this project came together insightful. I have very minor qualms with this production as I have tried to reconcile my imagination of how the story should look with the creative vision of the directors of this film. Overall, it is a fine piece of work and was well deserving of its acclaim.