A Warrior's Tail
| A Warrior's Tail | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Maksim Fadeev |
| Produced by |
Aleksandr Chistyakov Dmitriy Rudovskiy Fyodor Bondarchuk |
| Screenplay by |
Aleksandr Chistyakov Maksim Fadeev Gregory Poirier |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Maksim Fadeev |
| Edited by | Yuliya Pisarenko |
Production company |
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| Distributed by | Signature Entertainment |
Release date |
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Running time | 85 Minutes |
| Country | Russia |
| Language | Russian |
A Warrior's Tail also known as Savva: Heart of the Warrior (Russian: Savva: Serdtse Voina) is a 2015 Russian animated film directed by Maksim Fadeev and first released in the UK on 1 April 2016. Its English language cast includes Milla Jovovich as Savva, Will Chase as Anggee/Prince Angacetus, and Whoopi Goldberg as Mom Jozee.[1][2]
Plot
In a small village a young boy named Savva is told a story about the White Wolves who protected humans for thousands of years. But when the wolves turned against humans a powerful magician turned them all into beasts.
The village is attacked by Hyenas who announce that the villagers will be sold as slaves. Savva is forced to flee and is rescued by a white wolf named Anggee. He offers to take Savva to a magician who knows a warrior that can save the village, though they will have to get past Mom Jozee, the three headed monkey queen. They come across a small pink creature named Puffy, who claims he is an enchanted prince seeking the magician to return him to normal. They also save an ugly man named Fafl, who also claims he is an enchanted prince, a once handsome semi-baron who rejected the love of a witch and was cursed with ugliness, and also to suffer the presence of the Mosquito King until the two of them can agree on something, something Fafl’s pride would never allow him to do. Mom Jozee learns of the group’s presence and orders her spies to follow them.
Puffy is kidnapped by natives who live in a nearby swamp, believing him to be their god, Makatunga. The tribe also captures Savva, Anggee and Fafl who were being watched by Mom Jozee’s spies and warriors known as Rickies. Savva, Anggee and Fafl meet the tribal leader, Shaman Shisha, and his granddaughter, Nanty, who develops a crush on Savva. Shaman Shisha had previously used his voodoo magic to partially break Anggee’s curse, allowing him to become a white wolf again. Shaman Shisha tells Savva the tribe intends to help Makatunga return to heaven, though that would require Puffy’s death. Savva rescues Puffy from the temple, but they are followed by Nanty, who asks to join them.
That night Nanty witnesses Anggee transform into a Rickie. Savva accuses Anggee of lying to him and forces him to leave but is kidnapped by another Rickie on the orders of Anggee’s father. Mom Jozee learns from her spies that the Rickies are actually the white wolves and declares war on the Rickies to prevent the white wolves from returning.
Anggee confronts his father, who has no desire to become a white wolf again, and refuses to help, but does let Savva go. After reuniting with Nanty, Fafl and Puffy, Anggee explains that his father, who had almost starved, attacked a human, causing every white wolf to be turned into Rickies, and because the white wolves believed themselves powerful, they were cursed to fear the smallest animal in the forest, mosquitos, whose bite can kill Rickies.
As the monkey army approaches they are joined by the natives and by the Rickies, sent by Anggee’s father after learning the monkeys had declared war. As the monkey and Rickie armies fight Mom Jozee orders a swarm of mosquitos to kill the Rickies. With the Mosquito King the only one who can stop the swarm Fafl is forced to agree with him, finally separating them. With their king returned the swarm attacks the monkeys. With the monkeys defeated Savva and the others travel to the magician’s home. The magician, who is actually a little girl, grants everyone’s requests. Fafl is returned to his original appearance and granted the title of Full-Baron. Anggee and the Rickies become white wolves again. Puffy, who was not really an enchanted prince, desires nothing as he now has friends. Savva is directed to another room to find the warrior, but instead finds a mirror. Realising he has found the warrior he needs Savva returns to his village and defeats the hyenas leader, who promises to never attack the village again.
With the village free Anggee shares an emotional goodbye with Savva before leaving to become the white wolves’ new king. Fafl, tired of his old life as a semi-baron, decides to continue travelling the world with Puffy. Nanty stays in the village with Savva, who is upset that he may never see Anggee again. However Anggee, who had not intended to leave forever, returns to the village and is happily reunited with Savva.
Cast
| Russian | English | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Maksim Chikhachiov | Milla Jovovich | Savva |
| Mariya Kozhevnikova | Savva's mother | |
| Fyodor Bondarchuk | Patrick Page | Elza |
| Konstantin Khabensky | Will Chase | Anggee/Prince Angacetus |
| Lolita Milyavskaya | Whoopi Goldberg | Mom Jozee |
| Yulia Savicheva | Madeleine Yen | Nanty |
| Mikhail Galustyan | Geoffrey Cantor | Semi-Baron Fafl |
| Natalya Ionova | Sharon Stone | Pusik/Puffy |
| Lidiya Chistyakova-Ionova | Oril Hersch | Magician |
| Sergey Shnurov | Artist Monkey | |
| Igor Vernik | Shantagar | |
| Sergei Garmash | Morton |
Release
A Warrior's Tail was first released in Russia on 12 November 2015 and was released worldwide over a period lasting from its 12 November release in Russia to its release in Italy on 20 July 2017. It was released in the UK on 1 April 2016.