Character Relationship Map: Old Friends

Characters

• Arrogant Chubik (voice) (played by Boris Andreyev) — protagonist

  A wooden football player who joins his teammates in entering a water polo championship in pursuit of the prize. The team disguises itself with paint but loses after inadequate training and rude behavi...

• Hare (voice) (played by Yuliya Yulskaya) — supporting

  A hare associated with the wooden players who take part in the water polo championship under a painted disguise. The team loses after training too little and behaving rudely.

• Bear cup / Goalkeeper (voice) (played by Yuri Khrzhanovsky) — supporting

  A bear character associated with the water polo championship. The bear's conversation about the upcoming event is overheard by the wooden players and prompts their attempt to compete for the prize.

• Puppet Lusya (voice) (played by Viktoriya Ivanova) — supporting

  A puppet associated with the wooden players who enter the water polo championship in disguise. Their team loses after insufficient preparation and poor conduct during the match.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Arrogant Chubik (voice) → Hare (voice) (alliance)

  They are associated with the wooden players who join together as a team for the water polo championship.

• Bear cup / Goalkeeper (voice) → Arrogant Chubik (voice) (narrative)

  The wooden players overhear the bear talking about the upcoming championship, prompting their decision to enter.

• Arrogant Chubik (voice) → Puppet Lusya (voice) (alliance)

  They are associated with the wooden players who compete together as a team in the championship.

Story Analysis

The story contrasts bullying and deception with a victory earned through fair play.

Plot Progression

1. The Match That Ends in Ejection — The wooden players bully and cheat during a football match against the soft toys. Their misconduct fails to secure victory, and they are thrown out of the store.
2. A Prize and a Suspicious Entry — News of a water-polo championship and its valuable prize reaches the wooden players, who enter despite having no swimming experience. The soft toys later notice suspicious swimmers nearby.
3. The Black Swans' Invitation — The soft toys seek photographs to identify the swimmers, but the group denies being the wooden football team and introduces itself as the Black Swans. Reassured by the captain's courtesy, the soft toy...
4. Victory Through Fair Play — The teams meet in the water-polo pool, where the opponents try to obstruct the soft toys. The soft-toy team wins the prize, and the narrator closes with a lesson about earning success fairly.