Little Longnose

Jacob, the shoemaker's son, is a good-hearted boy who works at the market. One day he refuses to help a witch who is after power. She punishes him: Jacob becomes a hunchbacked dwarf with a long nose. When he goes home his mother does not recognise him, everyone in town mocks him, and he is driven out. On the road he meets a goose named Greta, who is in fact an enchanted king's daughter. Together they look for a way to break the spell and to stop the witch. Ilya Maksimov's film adapts Wilhelm Hauff's tale Dwarf Nose. It was made during the revival of Russian animation in the early 2000s, using hand-drawn technique. The narrative puts exclusion based on appearance at its centre; Jacob's talent is cooking, and only through it does he find acceptance. Who it's for: Viewers who like Russian animation, classic fairy-tale adaptations, and children's films. Who it's not for: The narrative is simple and the characters are thin. Some of the witch scenes are also frightening for small children.