The animation, ‘Hedgehog in the Fog’, tells the story of an inquisitive hedgehog passing through a wood to visit his friend the bear cub to count the stars. ‘Hedgehog in the Fog’ is the fifth of Norstein’s six completed works. All have a deceptive simplicity, a faux naiveté that begs a deeper understanding of their origins and implications.
The method by which this will be done will be to firstly report the elements and functions that went into forming Norstein’s animations and ‘Hedgehog in the Fog’ in particular, then to analyse how these elements with his personal influences to imply further meaning within his work.
The hedgehog’s journey begins as he enters the wood carrying a bag of sweets for the bear, and unknowingly stalked by an owl. He pauses for a moment to entertain himself by calling into a well and listening to his echo, the owl does the same.
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