Squirrel and the Magic Shell

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1988

Production year

1988

Premiere

1 September 1989

Runtime

67 min

Category

film

Genre

children

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Veverka a kouzelná mušle

Czech title

Veverka a kouzelná mušle

English title

Squirrel and the Magic Shell

Summary

Shortly after completing children’s comedy Nefňukej, veverko! (Stop Mewling, Squirrel!, 1988) experienced director Věra Plívová-Šimková brought to the cinema the second instalment in this series of stories about the little girl Kačka Znamínková. Kačka’s deceased grandfather speaks to this girl with a strong imagination through a seashell. The shell also fulfils her various wishes and enables Kačka to travel into a fantastical world. There, the little heroine tries to deal with some of the problems that seem impossibly complex in the real world. Helena Vitovská takes the lead role in this light-hearted film. The young actress would also play another Kačenka – Mahlerová – in a pair of films from director Jindřich Polák, namely Kačenka a strašidla (Cathy and the Ghosts, 1992) and Kačenka a zase ta strašidla, (Cathy and Those Ghosts Again, 1992). Also linking these two series is the fact that Jiří Schmitzer plays the father in all four films.

Synopsis

The grandfather of Kačka Znamínková died and a funeral is held in the village of Tatobity. The little girl appears on a sea shore in her fantasy and hears granddad's voice from a shell. The grandmother left to go to a spa some time ago and the granny came from Tatobity to visit Kačka and her little brothers, twins Péťa and Pól. The big shell fulfills every wish. Kačenka receives long hair and calls for her friend Jožan. But the game together with Jožan soon starts to bore the girl and she thus lets the boy disappear. Then she appears at home again. The great-grandmother called Pralinka (Chocolate) is jealous of the children's relationship with their granddad. The old man sets off with Kačka and her friends Monča and Jožan to the waterfall to catch trout. The fish warden warns the mother about the treacherous pools and currents in the brook. Kačka repeatedly returns to her fantasy world and takes there, alternately, her parents, friends and her little brothers. The granddad and the granddaughter find a tawny owl chick which fell out of the nest. They take it home, put it in a cage in the attic and Kačka secretly steals chicken meat for it from the fridge. But Pralinka follows her and releases the bird. The grandmother arrives from the spa for the celebration of the twins' first birthday. Kačka discovers the empty cage and an open window and tells it to her granddad in tears. Grandfather already knows that the chick died but convinces the girl that every raptor needs freedom. Kačka, however, finds the dead bird and blames Pralinka for being an evil old hag. The girl's father wants to punish her and chases her around the cottage. The granddad – a cardiac – suffers a heart attack and dies at night. The mother realizes why the girl does not want to put on her mourning dress and go to the funeral. Kačka returns from Tatobity with her parents. Pralinka comes to meet them with the twins. Jožan observes them from the distance with binoculars and calls on his friend: "Stop Mewling, Squirrel!" It turns out that the mom is expecting another baby. They all sing granddad's favourite song Green Groves together and Kačka reconciles with Pralinka.

Note

This is a sequel of the film Stop Mewling, Squirrel! (1988).

Film online

Cast

Helena Vitovská

Kačka Znamínková

Veronika Freimanová

Marie, maminka Kačky

Jiří Schmitzer

Tomáš Znamínko, otec Kačky

Marie Rosůlková

Pralinka, Kaččina prababička

Lubor Tokoš

děda, Tomášův otec

Libuše Havelková

babička, Tomášova matka

Jan Kalous

Jožan, Kaččin starší kamarád

Tereza Vokurková

Monča Hloušková, Kaččina kamarádka

Adam Kryštof

Péťa, Kaččin bratr

Dan Kryštof

Pavel zvaný Pól, Kaččin bratr

Jan Schmid

Voice by Alois Švehlík
lesník Ryba

Vojtěch Ron

strýc Václav

Lubomír Tlalka

truchlící

Tomáš Tintěra

truchlící

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Tomáš Urban

Assistant Director

Magda Vodičková, Lucie Minaříková

Dramaturg

Milan Pávek

Director of Photography

Antonín Holub

Second Unit Photography

Karel Dobřichovský

Camera Operator

Emil Hora

Production Designer

Miloš Červinka

Assistent Production Designer

Zdeněk Maur

Set Designer

Zdeněk Jeřábek, Ondřej Nerud, Richard Staněk

Costume Designer

Marta Kaplerová

Film Editor

Eva Bobková

Assistant Film Editor

Helena Lehovcová

Sound Designer

Antonín Kravka

Production Manager

Blažej Vráb

Unit Production Manager

Rudolf Mos, Evelyna Vrbová

Unit Production Manager

Miloš Ptáček, Petr Jahn

Cooperation

Pavlína Volrábová (klapka), Michal Fairaizl (fotograf), Václav Tomšovský (práce se zvířaty)

Music

Music Composed by

Michal Pavlíček

Songs

Mám tu pláč, mám tu smích

Song Composer Michal Pavlíček
Writer of Lyrics Michal Horáček
Singer Bára Basiková

Každej brouk má křivý nohy

Song Composer Jiří Schmitzer
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Schmitzer
Singer Jiří Schmitzer

Zelení hájové

Singer Marie RosůlkováHelena Vitovská

U studánky seděla

Singer Jan KalousLubor TokošHelena VitovskáTereza Vokurková

Production info

Original Title

Veverka a kouzelná mušle

Czech Title

Veverka a kouzelná mušle

English Title

Squirrel and the Magic Shell

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

children

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1988

Production Year

1988

Production specifications

start of filming 3 May 1988
end of filming 4 July 1988
the first film copy approved 25 November 1988
projection approval 22 December 1988
withdrawal from distribution 30 June 1995

Premiere

premiere 1 September 1989 /suitable for youths/

Creative Group

4. tvůrčí skupina, Marcela Pittermannová (vedoucí 4. tvůrčí skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

67 min

Original length in metres

1 903 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,37

Colour

colour

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech

Awards

Vítěz

Festival: 6. mezinárodní festival filmů pro děti Chicago

1989
Chicago / United States of America

Vítěz

Festival: 29. festival filmů pro děti Gottwaldov

1989
Zlín / Czechoslovakia
Helena Vitovská

Vítěz

Exhibition: 21. národní přehlídka filmů pro děti Ostrov

1989
Ostrov nad Ohří / Czechoslovakia
Helena Vitovská