Yuri Borisovich Norstein (; born 15 September 1941) is a Soviet and Russian

animator An animator is an artist who creates images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, and video games. Animat ...

best known for his animated shorts '' Hedgehog in the Fog'' and '' Tale of Tales''. Since 1981, he has been working on a feature film called ''

The Overcoat "The Overcoat" (, translit. Shinyél’; sometimes translated as "The Cloak" or "The Mantle") is a short story by Nikolai Gogol, published in 1842. The story has had a great influence on Russian literature. Eugène-Melchior de Vogüé, ...

'', based on the short story by

Nikolai Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; ; (; () was a Russian novelist, short story writer, and playwright of Ukrainian origin. Gogol used the Grotesque#In literature, grotesque in his writings, for example, in his works "The Nose (Gogol short story), ...

of the same name. According to ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', "he is considered by many to be not just the best animator of his era, but the best of all time".

Life and career

Childhood and early life

Yuri Norstein was born to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family in the village of Andreyevka, Pachelmsky District,

Penza Oblast Penza Oblast () is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Penza. As of the Russian Census (2010), 2010 Census, its population was ...

, during his parents'

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

evacuation. He grew up in the Maryina Roshcha District of

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. After studying at an art school, Norstein initially found work at a furniture factory. Then he finished a two-year animation course and found employment at studio

Soyuzmultfilm Soyuzmultfilm ( rus, Союзмультфи́льм, p=səˌjʉsmʊlʲtˈfʲilʲm , ''Unioncartoon'') (also known as SMF Animation Studio in English, formerly known as Soyuzdetmultfilm, ''Unionchildcartoon'') is a Russian animation studio, produ ...

in 1961. The first film that he participated in as an animator was ''Who Said "Meow"?'' (1962).

Film career

After working as an animation artist in some fifty films, Norstein got the chance to direct his own. In 1968, he debuted with ''25th October, the First Day'', sharing directorial credit with Arkadiy Tyurin. The film used the artwork of 1920s-era Soviet artists Nathan Altman and Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin. The next film in which he had a major role was ''

The Battle of Kerzhenets ''The Battle of Kerzhenets River, Kerzhenets'' (; Romanization of Russian, tr.: ''Secha pri Kerzhentse'') is a 1971 Soviet Union, Soviet animated film directed by Ivan Ivanov-Vano and Yuri Norstein. The film is set to music by Nikolai Rimsky-Kors ...

'' (1971), a co-production with Russian animation director

Ivan Ivanov-Vano Ivan Petrovich Ivanov-Vano (; – 25 March 1987), born Ivanov, was a Soviet Union, Soviet and Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian animation director, animator, screenwriter, educator, professor at Gerasimov Institute of Cine ...

under whose direction Norstein had earlier worked on 1969's ''Times of the Year''. Throughout the 1970s Norstein continued to work as an animator in many films (a more complete list can be found a
IMDb
, and also directed several. As the decade progressed his animation style became ever more sophisticated, looking less like flat cut-outs and more like smoothly-moving paintings or sophisticated pencil sketches. His most famous film is '' Tale of Tales'', a non-linear, autobiographical film about growing up in the postwar Soviet world. Norstein uses a special technique in his

animation Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...

, involving multiple glass planes to give his animation a

three-dimensional In geometry, a three-dimensional space (3D space, 3-space or, rarely, tri-dimensional space) is a mathematical space in which three values (''coordinates'') are required to determine the position (geometry), position of a point (geometry), poi ...

look. The camera is placed at the top looking down on a series of glass planes about a meter deep (one every 25–30 cm). The individual glass planes can move horizontally as well as toward and away from the camera (to give the effect of a character moving closer or further away). For many years, he has collaborated with his wife, the artist Francheska Yarbusova, and the cinematographer Aleksandr Zhukovskiy. He met Francheska when he was studying at the Moscow Art School. She became his most loyal collaborator. Together they created the famous '' Hedgehog in the Fog'' (1975) and ''Tale of Tales''. ''Tale of Tales'' was voted the best animated film of all time at the Animated Olympics, held during the 1984

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

in Los Angeles. Throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, Norstein's animations were showered with both state and international awards. Then, in a bitter twist of irony, he was fired from

in 1985 for working too slowly on his latest film, a (presumably) feature-length adaptation of

Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; ; (; () was a Russian novelist, short story writer, and playwright of Ukrainian origin. Gogol used the grotesque in his writings, for example, in his works " The Nose", " Viy", "The Overcoat", and " Nevsky Prosp ...

's ''

''. By that time he had been working on it with his usual small team of three people for two years and had finished ten minutes. In April 1993, Norstein and three other leading animators (

Fyodor Khitruk Fyodor Savelyevich Khitruk (3 December 2012) was a Soviet and Russian animator, animation director, screenwriter and pedagogue. Biography Khitruk was born in Tver into a Jewish family. He came to Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capit ...

, Andrei Khrzhanovsky, and

Eduard Nazarov Eduard Vasilievich Nazarov (; 23 November 1941 – 11 September 2016) was a Soviet and Russian animator, screenwriter, voice actor, book illustrator and educator, artistic director at the Pilot (studio), Pilot Studio (2007–2016), vice-president ...

) founded the Animation School and Studio (SHAR Studio) in Russia. The Russian Cinema Committee is among the share-holders of the studio. To this day, Norstein is still working on ''

'' – his ardent perfectionism has earned him the nickname "The Golden Snail". The project has met numerous financial troubles and false starts, but Norstein has said that it currently has reliable funding from several sources, both from within and outside of Russia. At least 25 minutes have been completed to date. A couple of short, low-resolution clips have been made available to the public. The first 20 minutes of the film have also toured among various exhibits of Norstein's work in Russian museums. The full film is expected to be 65 minutes long.

Books

Norstein wrote an essay for a book by

Giannalberto Bendazzi Giannalberto Bendazzi (17 July 1946 – 13 December 2021) was an Italian animation historian, author, and professor. Life and career Born in Ravenna, Italy, and raised in Milan, Bendazzi started his career as a journalist and at the same time a ...

about the pinscreen animator Alexander Alexeïeff titled ''Alexeïeff: Itinerary of a Master''. In 2005, he released a Russian-language book titled ''Snow on the Grass. Fragments of a Book. Lectures about the Art of Animation'', featuring a number of lectures that he gave about the art of animation. That same year, he was invited as "guest animator" to work on Kihachirō Kawamoto's puppet-animated feature film, '' The Book of the Dead''. On 10 August 2008, the full version of the book ''Snow on the Grass'' was released (the "incomplete" 2005 book was 248 pages). The book, which was printed in the Czech Republic and funded by

Sberbank The Public JSC Sberbank (, initially a contraction of ) is a Russian majority state-owned banking and financial services company headquartered in Moscow. As the Russian successor entity of the State Labor Savings Banks System of the USSR, it was ...

, consists of two volumes, 620 pages, and 1700 color illustrations. The studio stopped working on ''The Overcoat'' for nearly a year while Norstein worked to release the book.

Political views

Norstein has been an outspoken critic of the Russian government. He voiced his opposition to the conviction of the band

Pussy Riot Pussy Riot is a Feminism in Russia, Russian feminist protest and performance art group based in Moscow that became popular for its provocative punk rock music which later turned into a more accessible style. Founded in the fall of 2011 by the th ...

and voiced his concerns over the death of

Sergei Magnitsky Sergei Leonidovich Magnitsky (, ; ; 8 April 1972 – 16 November 2009) was a Russian tax advisor responsible for exposing corruption and misconduct by Russian government officials while representing client Hermitage Capital Management. His ...

in prison after he had exposed corruption within the government. He was among 370 people in the Russian animation industry signing an open letter against the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

that was published in ''

Novaya Gazeta ''Novaya Gazeta'' (, ) is an independent Russian newspaper. It is known for its critical and investigative coverage of Russian political and social affairs, the Chechen wars, corruption among the ruling elite, and increasing authoritarianism i ...

'' shortly after the invasion began.

Filmography

* ''The 25th, the First Day'' (, 1968), in collaboration with Arkadiy Tyurin. * ''

'' (, 1971), in collaboration with

. *
The Fox and the Hare
' (, 1973). * '' The Heron and the Crane'' (, 1974). * '' Hedgehog in the Fog'' (, 1975). * '' Tale of Tales'' (, 1979). * Participated in . * ''

'' (, still in production).

Releases

2K resolution 2K resolution is a generic term for display devices or content having a horizontal resolution of approximately 2,000 pixels. In the movie projection industry, Digital Cinema Initiatives Digital Cinema Initiatives, LLC (DCI) is a consortium ...

transfers of the six theatrical shorts directed by Norstein by were made by the Japanese

film laboratory A film laboratory is a commercial service enterprise and technical facility for the film industry where specialists develop, print, and conform film material for classical film production and distribution which is based on film material, such as n ...

Imagica is a Japanese post-production company for films, television programmes and commercials, etc., established in 1935 and headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of ...

. A touring programme of them was played in cinemas in Japan beginning in December 2016 and they were released on

Blu-ray Disc Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of ...

there on 26 May 2017.

Awards and praise

* 1971 –

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (, KVIFF) is an annual film festival held in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival is one of the oldest in the world and has become Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Eastern Eur ...

(

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

): ''The Battle of Kerzhenets'' named Best Animated Film * 1972 –

Zagreb World Festival of Animated Films World Festival of Animated Film Zagreb (), best known as Animafest Zagreb, is a film festival entirely dedicated to animated film held annually in Zagreb, Croatia. Initiated by the International Animated Film Association (ASIFA), the event was e ...

(

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

): Grand Prize for ''The Battle of Kerzhenets'' (shared with

) * 1972 –

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

: ''The Battle of Kerzhenets'' named Best Animated Film * 1972 –

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

Film Festival (

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): "Diplom" for ''The Battle of Kerzhenets'' * 1975 –

Annecy International Animated Film Festival The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (, officially abbreviated in English as the Annecy Festival, or simply Annecy) was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of June in the town of Annecy, France. Initially occurring ever ...

(

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

): Special Jury Prize for ''Heron and Crane'' * 1975 –

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

(U.S.): First Prize for ''Heron and Crane'' * 1976 – Frunze All-Union Film Festival: ''Hedgehog in the Fog'' "best animated film" * 1976 –

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

Children's and Youth Film Festival (

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

): ''Hedgehog in the Fog'' "best animated film" * 1977 –

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (after Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2025, the city proper had a population of 185,480 while Odense Municipality had a population of 210, ...

(

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

): Grand Prize for ''Heron and Crane'' * 1979 –

USSR State Prize The USSR State Prize () was one of the Soviet Union’s highest civilian honours, awarded from its establishment in September 1966 until the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. It recognised outstanding contributions in the fields of science, mathem ...

for ''Tale of Tales'' (awarded just prior to its release to Norstein, Yarbusova, and Zhukovsky) * 1980 –

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

International Festival of Films (

): Jury Grand Prize for ''Tale of Tales'' * 1980 –

: Grand Prize for ''Tale of Tales'' * 1980 –

Ottawa International Animation Festival The Ottawa International Animation Festival is an annual animated film and media festival that takes place in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The OIAF was founded in 1975, with the first festival held from August 10 to 15 in 1976. Initially organized b ...

(

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

): Best Film Longer Than Three Minutes Award for ''Tale of Tales'' * 1984 –

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Olympic Arts Festival (U.S.): ''Tale of Tales'' voted by large international jury to be the greatest animated film of all time * 1991 –

Annie Award The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in American cinema and television. Origina ...

for Distinguished Contribution to the Art of Animation * 1995 –

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

n Independent Triumph Award (acknowledging 'the highest achievements in art and literature') * 1996 –

People's Artist of Russia People's Artist of the Russian Federation (, ''Narodnyy artist Rossiyskoy Federatsii''), also sometimes translated as National Artist of the Russian Federation, is an honorary and the highest title awarded to citizens of the Russian Federation ...

* 1996 – 1st Open Russian Festival of Animated Film, Breakthrough Prize for ''Russian Sugar (commercial)'' * 2002 –

: ''Tale of Tales'' again voted by large international jury to be the greatest animated film of all time * 2004 –

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese honors system, Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge feat ...

* 2014 –

Animafest Zagreb World Festival of Animated Film Zagreb (), best known as Animafest Zagreb, is a film festival entirely dedicated to Animation, animated film held annually in Zagreb, Croatia. Initiated by the International Animated Film Association (ASIFA), the e ...

- World Festival of Animated Film: Lifetime Achievement Award

Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, filmmaker, and manga artist. He co-founded Studio Ghibli and serves as honorary chairman. Throughout his career, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Anime, Japanese ani ...

considers Norstein "a great artist" and cited ''Hedgehog in the Fog'' as one of his favourite animated films.A remote conversation between Yuri Norstein and Hayao Miyazaki
at a Russian TV Show ProSvet, on 22 October 2005, hosted by Dmitry Dibrov

Bibliography

* "Сказка сказок". Ю. Норштейн. Ф. Ярбусова. 2005, «Красная площадь». * "Снег на траве. Фрагменты книги. Лекции по искусству анимации". Ю. Норштейн. 2005. * "Ёжик в тумане". Юрий Норштейн, Сергей Козлов, Франческа Ярбусова (иллюстрации). 2006, «Красная площадь». * "Снег на траве". Ю. Норштейн. 2008, «Красная площадь».

References

External links

*
Yuri Norstein
at animator.ru (full filmography) *
Magia Russica, a Documentary Film about Russian Animation in Soviet Times, including In-depth interview with Yuri Norstein and a tour in his studio

( ttp://niffiwan.livejournal.com/4212.html#cutid1 English translation
The Animation of Yuri Norstein
at the Keyframe - the Animation Resource

''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

''
"Sweet little mystery"
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', Saturday 16 April 2005
Yuri Norstein. The tale is a lie, what it tells is the truth

MoMA Hayama pays tribute to Russian animation legends
''

Metropolis (free magazine) ''Metropolis'' is a 32-to-48-page free monthly city guide, news and classified ads glossy magazine published by Japan Partnership Inc. targeting the English-speaking community in Tokyo, Japan. As of April 2011, its circulation was claimed to be 3 ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Norstein, Yuri 1941 births Living people Academic staff of High Courses for Scriptwriters and Film Directors Annie Award winners Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres People's Artists of Russia Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 5th class Recipients of the USSR State Prize Jewish Russian artists Jewish Russian actors Russian animated film directors Russian animators Russian male artists Russian male voice actors Soviet animation directors Soviet animators Soviet film directors Soviet male voice actors Stop motion animators Russian fantasy film directors