It is an adaptation of the Toldi trilogy, a 19th-century epic poem in three parts by János Arany. The film was produced through Pannonia Film Studio and is notable for its visual style, which resembles oil painting. It won the feature film award at the 1985 Annecy International Animated Film Festival.
This is an unique paint-animation (it means that nearly all the frames are individual paintings)from Hungary. Directed by József Gémes (his more known works are Willy the Sparrow and The Princess and the Goblin) It tales the story of Miklós Toldi, an original character by the famous author János Arany (1817-1882). He is a tragic hero who has inhuman strength, that coses some serious trouble, but also this and his iron will makes him a legend. The movie is also narrated by him.
The movie itself is very interesting for the fans of animation, because of its unique technique. Just a handful of man dealing with paint-animation in the whole world (maybe the most famous among them is Aleksandr Petrov the Russian genius). The sound and music is not that grateful, but its OK for its time.
The one thing that I cannot understand about this piece of art, why its so unknown? Even in Hungary nobody knows about it, I never seen it on TV programs, or in art-cinemas. When I studied animation (in the same studio where it has been made), I had a chance to watch it, but its an other story…
All in all, if you are interested in rare animation treasures, and have a chance to watch it, do it without hesitation!
