Mavka: The Forest Song
Of all countries, Ukraine provides an animated eco-friendly fantasy that is an instant classic and with appeal for all ages.
Image courtesy of Dazzler Media
The first animation studio in Ukraine opened as long ago as 1926 and Animagrad, the company behind Mavka: The Forest Song, was set up in Kyiv back in 2012. But, despite those roots, it is only now that an animated feature made in that country looks set to achieve a significant impact internationally. Ukraine has come up with quite a number of films in this genre in recent years including Oleh Malamuzh’s The Stolen Princess in 2018. He is also the man behind Mavka: The Forest Song but this time directing alongside Oleksandra Ruban. Some of these earlier films have been seen on the internet in the UK as well as appearing in other parts of the world, but this new arrival’s British release will take it into cinemas here and will do so in both dubbed and subtitled versions (this review is based on viewing the subtitled version). It's a film not without folktale elements that give it a Ukrainian flavour, but it's also a work that echoes many classics of the genre and it would not surprise me if it came to be regarded in time as a classic in its own right.
Ukrainian animation will be unknown to many of us yet from its very first images Mavka: The Forest Song lacks nothing in technical skill and is so colourful that it positively dazzles. All the more delightful for being made for the wide screen, this is a tale set in imaginary world in which the creatures of the forest live apart from the humans who inhabit the surrounding land. Mavka herself is a nymph, a spirit of the forest, who finds herself chosen to replace Lech, the ancient guardian of the forest. In this role she is endowed with special powers and will eventually use them when defying convention by seeking to live in peace with the humans who have previously been regarded as their enemies. She is motivated in this by having chanced on a human named Lucas who is a musician and by having fallen in love with him after being charmed by his flute playing. But the hostility on both sides has an old history, one that is encouraged by the evil strategies of the film’s villainess, Kylina, who is determined to find the source of life located in the forest beyond the dark mountain and which is believed to be a fountain of youth. To this end she will take advantage of Lucas and seek to destroy all that Mavka stands for.
The film draws loosely on a play written in 1911 but, in so far as Mavka: The Forest Song is a love story, for most viewers it will carry echoes of Romeo and Juliet. When it comes to cinematic echoes, the evil Kylina brings to mind Cruella de Vil from the Disney versions of 101 Dalmatians while the three unappetising female rivals to Mavka vying for the role of guardian bring to mind the ugly sisters in Cinderella. As this may suggest Mavka: The Forest Song is a film that has appeal for both children and adults and, in so far as the tale chronicles the need for peace and unity in the world and an end to all hostilities, it recalls the implicit moral messages found in the films that were created by Satyajit Ray with both young and adult audiences in mind (The Adventures of Goopy and Bagha in 1969 and its sequel of 1980, The Kingdom of Diamonds).
Quite apart from its huge pictorial appeal, Mavka: The Forest Song has the advantage of never slacking as it unfolds its narrative at a fine pace. It also has a freshness about it as though the filmmakers were genuinely enthused and far removed from making anything off a production line. Perhaps because of that there is real charm to be found here and my only disappointment lies in the climactic battle scenes and the plotting around them which for my taste seem to be built up in a more formulaic way. A climax it may be, but it feels over the top and is less individual. But that hardly detracts from the film’s many pleasures including a good music score. Furthermore, it has such genuine heart that it feels absolutely right when, despite the role of the flute, it is ultimately posited that the magic lies not in the music but in love.
Original title: Mavka. Lisova pisnya.
MANSEL STIMPSON
Voices of (Ukrainian version) Nataliya Denisenko, Artem Pivovarov, Elena Kravets, Serhiy Prytula, Nazar Zadneprovskiy, Oleh Mykhailyuta, Yuliya Sanina, Oleg Skripka, Nataliya Sumskaya, Katya Osadcha.
Voice Cast (English language version): Laurie Hymes, Eddy Lee, Sarah Natocherry, Tom Wayland, Marc Thompson, Scottie Ray, H D Quinn, Nikki Thomas, Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld, Mike Pollock.
Dir Oleh Malamuzh and Oleksandra Ruban, Pro Anna Eliseyeva, Iryna Kostyuk, Egor Olesov and, Sergey Sozanovsky, Screenplay Yaroslav Voytseshek, based on a play by Lesya Ukrainka, Arț Dir Kristian Koskinen, Music Maksym Berezhnyak, DaKhaBrakha and Dario Vero, Head of Animation Natalia Alekseieva.
Animagrad Animation Studio/Film. UA Group/Ukrainian State Film Agency-Dazzler Media.
99 mins. Ukraine/USA. 2023. UK Rel: 28 July 2023. Cert. PG.
