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Hedgehog in the Fog
Ёжик в тумане
One night, somewhere in a thick dark forest, a timid little hedgehog prepares to visit the humble home of his best friend, the bear, to drink tea and count the stars in the sky. However, as a heavy fog shrouds the wild woods, the helpless hedgehog starts wandering in the powdery mist, a jar of raspberry jam in his hands. Before long, terrifying nocturnal encounters and mysterious occurrences send shivers down his spine. Will the young visitor find his way home?
Hedgehog in the Fog has generated its own lore, and there is even a monument to the hedgehog in Kyiv. During the Maidan events, the hedgehog cartoon acquired a new meaning: it first became a symbol of seeking the right path, and then of protest. Maidan brought the destruction of many Soviet monuments, but not of the Kyiv hedgehog statue.
Bio Yuri Norstein
Russian Yuri Norstein is best known for his animated shorts, Hedgehog in the Fog and Tale of Tales. According to the Washington Post, “He is considered by many to be not just the best animator of his era, but the best of all time”. After working as an animation artist in some fifty films, Norstein got the chance to direct his own. He debuted on 25th October, the First Day, sharing directorial credit with Arkadiy Tyurin. Throughout the 1970s, his animation style became ever more sophisticated, looking increasingly like smoothly moving paintings or sophisticated pencil sketches. Norstein uses a special technique in his animation, involving multiple glass planes to give his animation a three-dimensional look.
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- This film was #28 in the “Greatest” Short Films of All Time 2025