 Khitruk's Winnie the Pooh drawn by the six-year-old Fanny. |
Winnies the Pooh with Child's Eyes
Saturday's Winnies the Pooh 1 was sold out. Over half of the audience was adults, and nowhere near all of them had children with them.Among the audience was also the sisters Kaivonen, the six-year-old Fanny and the four-year-old Wivi. The girls have familiarised themselves with Disney's production through books and films, and they already have a some sort of idea of Winnie-the-Pooh. They have not seen the illustrations in Milne's book. They saw Khitruk's Pooh for the first time from the festival leaflet.
- Oh, is that other bear really Winnie-the-Pooh, too, Fanny wondered when looking at the picture.
Khitruk Like an Amiable Grandfather
The one-hour screening consisted of two old Disney-films and of one 10-minute animation by Khitruk in between them. The Russian veteran director honoured the first part of the screening with his presence. To a child's point of view, there was not a master of animation on the stage, but an amiable grandfather-like figure.- An old man, looks very nice, said Fanny.
Poohs Have Differences
After the screening we recall together the Poohs by Disney and Khitruk.- That Russian one was not very similar at all, starts Fanny.
- Its colour was different, it was fatter and it was wider from the bottom. And it had loose feet. It didn't have a shirt like the real Winnie-the-Pooh has, even though it should have had. Piglet was almost the same. Rabbit was thin as thin, and it wore clothes and glasses, Fanny carries on.
- The Russian one looks older. It was probably made up first. Then it has to be the real Winnie-the-Pooh, Fanny ponders further.
Which Is the Right One?
 The only right Winnie the Pooh and Piglet according to Fanny. |
- The light-coloured is the right one, assures Wivi.
The diplomatic six-year-old informs that she equally liked Disney's and Khitruk's films. The four-year-old, on the other hand, has a clear opinion of the Russian Winnie-the-Pooh.
- I didn't like it because everything was so different in it, Wivi confesses.
- No wonder that it was different, it's from a different country. It would have been funny if they had been similar, Fanny educates her little sister.
Khitruk's Magic Sticks
At home, Fanny takes her drawing pens and soon the papers are filled with teddy bears. Drawing of the "real Winnie-the-Pooh" is no sweat at all, Pooh and Piglet take their form on paper in no time at all. Then the drawer starts to fret over how to draw the "other " Winnie-the-Pooh. Finally the figure gets its form on the paper. While on a go, Fanny starts to remember the imaginative background of Khitruk's animation, and her drawing gets a green grass, flowers and a colourful butterfly.- It did have butterflies, too, Fanny assures her mother, who does not recollect any at all.
After all, the magic of Khitruk's animation stuck with the little drawer.
Text: Virpi Kaivonen
Drawings: Fanny Kaivonen
Translation: Leena Hyttinen
Sunday: Winnies the Pooh 2 in Tullikamari Pakkahuone at 10.30 am.
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