Three famous Hungarian cartoons for your watch-list

June 12, 2020 09:15

Tempus Public Foundation

culture
fun

Cartoons are not only for children – just like folk tales, they might be filled with morals, build on and fuel imagination and sometimes have such a delicate humour hidden in them that makes us want to see them again and again as adults. Today we bring you some classics that can help you immerse yourself in culture as well as practice your Hungarian language skills!

Johnny Corncob (1973) - János vitéz

To start the list, let’s take a look at the first full-length animation movie of Hungary. Created for the 150 year anniversary of one of the most famous Hungarian poets, Sándor Petőfi, the cartoon tells the never-ageing tale of a young shepherd setting out on a journey for quests of love. It is based on Sándor Petőfi’s poem sharing the same title - János vitéz. The production took up 22 months, and the visuals were created using 600 different colours, with a style said to be inspired by a world-known animation classic: The Yellow Submarine.

Thanks to the National Film Institute of Hungary, you can watch it online for free with English subtitles. Click here: https://filmarchiv.hu/hu/alapfilmek/film/janos-vitez-2

Cat city (1986) - Macskafogó

With lines quickly becoming often quoted proverbs, catchy songs hummed by thousands, and the ground-breaking blending of genres it used, our second recommendation is a true cult movie. Set in a world where cats and mice are two superpowers battling each other we follow the adventures of the spy mouse Grabowski who has to save the world. Cat city is a parody of many mainstream movies, filled with references, iconic characters, and clever humour.

The Little Fox (1981) – Vuk

Last, but definitely not least we are highlighting a classic from the creations of director Attila Dargay, a truly iconic figure of Hungarian animation. This touching story about a little fox named “Vuk” was originally written by István Fekete and its animated adaptation quickly became a cult classic within Hungarian cartoons. Drawn with the very signature figures and style of Dargay movies, enriched with animal wit, beloved characters, and a good balance between the realistic life of wild animals and the justice of fairy tales, it is a great movie to start exploring the artwork of Dargay.

Thanks to the National Film Institute of Hungary, you can watch it online for free with English subtitles. Click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQa1oTWChpo&feature=youtu.be

We hope that you will like these ever-green classics and that you will continue on a journey of discovering Hungarian movies! If you are looking for some live-action movies next, be sure to check out our collection of award-winning Hungarian ones from the past decade! For true classic-lovers, we also recommend keeping an eye on the National Film Institute, an institution that is protecting and making the film heritage of Hungary accessible to all.