Kutsu-Juku seiklusi (partially found first Estonian experimental animated film; 1931)
Juku the Dog
Status: partially found
Kutsu-Juku seiklusi (Adventures of Juku The Dog) is the first Estonian animated film[1], directed by Voldemar Päts, producer Aleksander Teppor and cartoonist Elmar Jaanimägi.
Production and history
The film was shot in 1930 at the Alexander Teppor photo studio in Tallinn, at Suur-Karja 9. A total of 5,000 drawings were made and the film length was 180 minutes or 6 minutes. Out of the total of 6 minutes of shot film stock about 4 minutes have survived. The film was finished on April 17, 1931, first appearing at the cinema in Tallinn and then on November 7 at the cinema in Tartu. Initially, it was planned to create a series. Part 2, entitled The Adventures of Juku in the Country and beyond, has not been completed and has not survived.
In 1940, Aleksander Teppor hid a copy of the film from the occupation authorities in Tartu in the archives of the Estonian Kars Society. In 1986, the film was discovered in Tartu in the Estonian Historical Archives.
On November 30, 2001, a commemorative plaque was opened on the sidewalk in front of Suur-Karja 9 in Tallinn, devoted to film producers and film[2].
Availability
The preserved fragment of the animation can be viewed on YouTube.