1) Peter and the Wolf is a children's story composed by Sergei Prokofiev in 1936 that uses musical instruments to represent different characters.
2) Suzie Templeton produced the latest film adaptation in 2006, using a combination of stop motion and CGI animation.
3) In Templeton's adaptation, there is no narrative - the story is told entirely through Prokofiev's musical score, with each character represented by a different orchestra instrument. This results in a darker ending than previous adaptations where the duck is killed by the wolf.
2. Peter and the wolf
Peter and the Wolf is a composition written by Sergei Prokofiev in 1936 in the
USSR. It is a children’s story originally with both music and text by Prokofiev,
spoken by a narrator accompanied by the orchestra.
Outline of story
Peter and wolf tells the story of a clumsy shy boy who changes into a hero. He
lives in Russia where wolves roam the woods, he is forbidden to entre the
woods by his grandfather who he defies and does so with his best friend a
duck. The story follows the boys adventure into the wood that he has been
sheltered from.
3. The latest adaption was produced by Suzie Templeton in 2006, the story is
based in nowadays Russia. It depicts modern Russia with the mixture of
western things that start to appear there along side with the old elements of
Russian culture. E.g. the signage on buildings.
4. The film is depicted by a
combination of realistic and
fantastical. Set designer, polish
animation director Market
Strobercki who worked closely with
Suzie Templeton wanted to create a
hyper realistic set by minimizing the
world’s realistic elements but
treating them in an artistic way.
“We tried to create something
because pure imagination of the
world is pointless” Suzie Templeton
5. The biggest issue of the project was
the scale of the set and art design
considering the genre (built in se-ma-far
studios). The largest set covered
over 170 sq. meters. Puppets were
made in two scales most shot using 1.5
scale puppets, and for close up and
interior scenes a bigger scale was
used.
The film is a combination of stop
motion and CGI. Predominantly stop
motion, however where is became
impossible to make certain objects
look realistic e.g. a balloon CGI took
over, as it did with snowy weather
across a green screen, removing the
rigging, and green screening some
backgrounds in
6. There is no narrative in this adaption, only the occasional sound effects from
animals. In place of narrative is the music. Suzie Templeton wrote the story to
fit the pre-existing form of the composition. The music suggests a certain
feeling or characteristic or each individual that makes sense in the bigger
picture of the film. In the musical score of peter and the wolf an instrument in
the orchestra represents each character.
Peter is represented by a string quartet where a range of tones are covered
he is written to be a clumsy awkward and unhappy boy especially at the
beginning however despite this he is pleasant and kind hearted; during the
film he has moments of happiness that shine through.
7. A flute represents bird, this is light
pleasant and strange character, oily
and ragged but smiley and exited.
The bassoon represents granddad,
the music is plodding slow and
deliberate, there is quite a lot of
anger in the music. The grandfather
lives in fear, wants to cut himself off
from everything, and wants to
protect peter from the world around
him
8. Duck (peters best friend) is
represented by an obo, the gentle
swaying music represents the soft
character he is
The clarinet in a low register
represents cat, she acts as if she is a
great hunter posing a threat to a
certain degree
9. Wolf is represented by by French horns; this sound proud and majestic, wolf
is a wild creature and lives up to the music
10. Suzie Templeton’s adaption was made for children and adults, as it has a
darker side to it in comparison with Disney’s animated version in 1946. In
Disney the duck who is thought to have been swolled by the wolf appears at
the end and it is a ‘happily ever after’, however at the end of Susie Templeton’s
adaption the duck is gone forever and peter has lost his best friend.
