Soon There Will Be Rain (1959) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

A toad seeks the sky lord's help after a chess wager leaves the animals without water, leading to the release of the rain clouds.

Story Structure — 4 Plot Phases

The Water Wagers

Ong Zei loses the waterfalls, rivers, streams, and lakes to Drought in chess games. The world is left without its sources of water.

Key Events

• Chess Wager for Water — Ong Zei and Drought wager the world's sources of water in chess games. Characters: Toad / Drought / Fox (voice), Ong Zei (voice) Location: Sky
• Waterfalls Are Lost — Drought wins a game and takes the waterfalls. Characters: Toad / Drought / Fox (voice), Ong Zei (voice) Location: Sky
• Rivers and Streams Wagered — Ong Zei wagers the rivers and streams, and Drought wins them. Characters: Toad / Drought / Fox (voice), Ong Zei (voice) Location: Sky
• Lakes Lost to Drought — Drought wins the final wager and takes the lakes. Characters: Toad / Drought / Fox (voice), Ong Zei (voice) Location: Sky

A World Without Water

Animals search for water and find only traces of what once existed. The little fish's plea and the dried refuge lake show how desperate the situation has become.

Key Events

• Animals Search for Water — Thirsty animals follow old trails to find water, but the rivers have vanished. Characters: Toad / Drought / Fox (voice), Bear / Snake (voice) Location: Dry land
• The Fish Protects Her Young — The little fish begs the animals not to drink the puddle needed by her newly hatched daughter. Characters: Little fish (voice), Bear / Snake (voice) Location: Small puddle
• The Refuge Lake Dries — The animals discover that even their deep lake refuge has lost its water. Characters: Toad / Drought / Fox (voice), Bear / Snake (voice) Location: Deep lake

The Toad's Ascent

The toad decides to seek help from Ong Zei and climbs toward the sky palace. He outwits the guards who try to stop him.

Key Events

• Toad Chooses to Appeal — The toad decides to appeal to Ong Zei and asks Bear and Fox to wait. Characters: Toad / Drought / Fox (voice), Bear / Snake (voice) Location: Earth
• Ascent to the Sky Palace — The toad climbs the stone pillar toward the sky palace. Characters: Toad / Drought / Fox (voice) Location: Stone pillar
• Toad Outwits the Guards — Palace guards try to stop the toad, but he outwits them and reaches Ong Zei. Characters: Toad / Drought / Fox (voice) Location: Sky palace approach

The Clouds Released

The toad confronts Ong Zei, learns the rain clouds were not wagered, and discovers they are locked away with the water. Ong Zei releases the water, and the toad returns with a promise that he can call for rain from below.

Key Events

• Toad Confronts Ong Zei — The toad confronts Ong Zei with the devastation caused by the loss of water. Characters: Toad / Drought / Fox (voice), Ong Zei (voice) Location: Sky palace
• Ong Zei Admits the Losses — Ong Zei admits that Drought won the waterfalls, rivers, and lakes in chess. Characters: Toad / Drought / Fox (voice), Ong Zei (voice) Location: Sky palace
• Rain Clouds Were Not Wagered — The toad learns that the rain clouds were not part of the wager and remain with Ong Zei. Characters: Toad / Drought / Fox (voice), Ong Zei (voice) Location: Sky palace
• Clouds Locked Away — Ong Zei leads the toad to the clouds, which are locked away with the water. Characters: Toad / Drought / Fox (voice), Ong Zei (voice) Location: Place where the clouds are kept
• Ong Zei Releases Water — Seeing the consequences, Ong Zei realizes his mistake and releases the water. Characters: Toad / Drought / Fox (voice), Ong Zei (voice) Location: Place where the clouds are kept
• Toad Returns to Earth — The toad thanks Ong Zei and returns to Earth. Characters: Toad / Drought / Fox (voice), Ong Zei (voice) Location: Earth
• A Promise to Answer — Ong Zei promises the toad can call to him from below instead of making another difficult journey. Characters: Toad / Drought / Fox (voice), Ong Zei (voice) Location: Earth and sky
• Croaking Heralds Rain — The story explains the saying that rain will soon come when a toad croaks. Characters: Toad / Drought / Fox (voice), Ong Zei (voice) Location: Earth

Story Breakdown

• Water Wagers — Ong Zei's chess losses give Drought control of the world's water sources.
  • Waterfalls Lost — Drought wins the waterfalls in a game against Ong Zei.
  • Lakes Taken — Further wagers cost Ong Zei the rivers, streams, and lakes.
• Animals in Drought — The animals search for water as familiar sources disappear.
  • Vanished Rivers — The animals follow old trails but find that the rivers have gone.
  • Fish's Plea — A little fish begs the thirsty animals to spare the puddle needed by her newly hatched daughter.
• The Last Refuge — The animals' remaining hope of finding water is also lost.
  • Dry Deep Lake — Even the deep lake that served as a refuge has no water.
  • Toad's Decision — The toad decides to appeal to Ong Zei on behalf of the animals.
• Journey Skyward — The toad climbs toward the sky palace to seek an answer.
  • Stone Pillar — The toad makes his way up the stone pillar to the palace.
  • Guards Outwitted — Palace guards try to stop him, but he outwits them and reaches Ong Zei.
• Appeal to Ong Zei — The toad confronts the sky lord and uncovers the reason the water vanished.
  • Wager Confessed — Ong Zei admits that Drought won the waterfalls, rivers, and lakes in chess.
  • Clouds Unwagered — The toad learns that the rain clouds were never part of the wager.
• Water Restored — Ong Zei recognizes the harm caused by keeping the water locked away and changes how the toad can reach him.
  • Clouds Unlocked — Ong Zei releases the water after seeing what is happening.
  • Croak Calls Rain — Ong Zei promises the toad can call to him from below, explaining the saying about a croaking toad and coming rain.

Directed by

Vladimir Polkovnikov

Key Cast

• Elena Ponsova — Toad / Drought / Fox (voice)
• Anatoliy Kubatskiy — Ong Zei (voice)
• Mikhail Pogorzhelsky — Bear / Snake (voice)
• Galina Novozhilova — Little fish (voice)
• Vladimir Lepko — Tiger / Bull (voice, uncredited)