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Once Upon a Time there Lived a Dog

Original title: Zhil-byl pyos
  • 19821982
  • 10m
IMDb RATING
8.4/10
3.5K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Eduard Nazarov in Zhil-byl pyos (1982)
  • Animation
  • Short
  • Comedy
Two lonely souls met: a dog outcast by his owners, and a poor wolf living in the woods.Two lonely souls met: a dog outcast by his owners, and a poor wolf living in the woods.Two lonely souls met: a dog outcast by his owners, and a poor wolf living in the woods.
IMDb RATING
8.4/10
3.5K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Eduard Nazarov
  • Writer
    • Eduard Nazarov(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Georgiy Burkov(voice)
    • Armen Dzhigarkhanyan(voice)
    • Eduard Nazarov(voice)
Top credits
  • Director
    • Eduard Nazarov
  • Writer
    • Eduard Nazarov(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Georgiy Burkov(voice)
    • Armen Dzhigarkhanyan(voice)
    • Eduard Nazarov(voice)
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 5User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins

    Photos19

    Zhil-byl pyos (1982)
    Zhil-byl pyos (1982)
    Zhil-byl pyos (1982)
    Zhil-byl pyos (1982)
    Zhil-byl pyos (1982)
    Zhil-byl pyos (1982)
    Zhil-byl pyos (1982)
    Zhil-byl pyos (1982)
    Zhil-byl pyos (1982)
    Zhil-byl pyos (1982)
    Zhil-byl pyos (1982)
    Zhil-byl pyos (1982)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Georgiy Burkov
    Georgiy Burkov
    • Dogas Dog
    • (voice)
    Armen Dzhigarkhanyan
    Armen Dzhigarkhanyan
    • Wolfas Wolf
    • (voice)
    Eduard Nazarov
    • Narratoras Narrator
    • (voice)
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Eduard Nazarov
    • Writer
      • Eduard Nazarov(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit
    The action takes place on a Ukrainian farm. The elderly guard dog is not needed by anyone, and the owners decide to drive him away from the yard. The last straw that filled their cup of patience was that dog did not raise the alarm during the theft that happened at night in the house of the hosts. To help the dog, who escaped into the forest after being kicked out of the house, and already ready to settle accounts with life, his former enemy wolf comes. He helps the dog to demonstrate to his former masters his need: skillfully mock kidnapping of the master baby, and dog depicts that wins the wolf and saves the baby. In reward for this dog with honors return to the farm. —Peter-Patrick76 (peter-patrick@mail.com)
    • based on folktale
    • dog
    • anthropomorphism
    • baby
    • full moon
    • 23 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Genres
      • Animation
      • Short
      • Comedy
      • Family
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      All additional voices were performed by the crew members to save money. Director Eduard Nazarov performed as a narrator (uncredited).
    • Quotes

      [first lines]

      Narrator: In a small village, there once lived a dog.

      [the Dog barks as the narrator speaks]

      Narrator: All his life he did his job honestly, but then he grew old. His nose couldn't smell as well as it used to, his eyes were not as sharp as before, and his legs felt like they didn't even belong to him.

      [the door of the house opens and a hand throws a boot at the Dog]

      Narrator: His masters were kind people who put up with him anyway.

    • Connections
      Featured in Masters of Russian Animation - Volume 3 (2000)

    User reviews5

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    Wonderful Story
    A dog is getting near the end of his life, and, despite being loyal and productive, he now falls on hard times. He is tired all the time and his inactivity gets him in trouble. When he fails at his watchdog duty, he is literally booted off the farm. He eventually meets a wolf. They realize there needs to be a necessary symbiosis if they are to survive. Their love and compassion for one another are the roots of this pleasant story.W
    helpful•4
    0
    • Hitchcoc
    • Apr 28, 2019

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • 1982 (Soviet Union)
    • Country of origin
      • Soviet Union
    • Languages
      • Russian
      • Ukrainian
    • Also known as
      • There Once Was a Dog
    • Production company
      • Soyuzmultfilm
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      10 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Contribute to this page

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    Eduard Nazarov in Zhil-byl pyos (1982)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Zhil-byl pyos (1982) officially released in Canada in English?
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