Plot Analysis Summary
The provided material documents the film's creative development, puppet technology, location work, production difficulties, and eventual release rather than its scene-by-scene story.
Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases
From Floods To Puppets
The project began with a flood-survival concept viewed through a dog. The story direction changed after it was retold within the filmmaker's family.
Key Events
-
Original Flood Concept — The project was initially conceived from the perspective of a dog surviving floods.
Location: Concept development
-
Story Reconsidered — The concept changed after parts of the story were retold to the filmmaker's son.
Location: Story development
-
Puppet Film Direction — The revised project developed into a puppet-based fantasy film.
Location: Production planning
-
Artistic Inspiration — The film drew inspiration from the work of a Czech sculptor and painter.
Location: Artistic development
-
Collaboration Declined — The cited artist declined to participate directly in the production.
Location: Production development
Art And Technical Design
The film adopted inspiration from Czech visual art while developing puppet and visual-effects techniques. A puppet ensemble became responsible for manipulating the figures.
Key Events
-
Collaboration Declined — The cited artist declined to participate directly in the production.
Location: Production development
-
Technical Partnership — Technical collaboration was offered for puppet construction and visual effects.
Location: Puppet development
-
Puppet Ensemble Joined — Members of a Czech puppet ensemble manipulated the film's puppets.
Location: Puppet workshop
-
Physical Puppet Performance — The production relied on physical manipulation using strings and wires.
Location: Puppet set
-
Digital Cleanup Begins — Computer animation was used to remove visible strings and wires.
Location: Post-production studio
-
Effects Complexity Emerges — The project required unusually extensive visual-effects work.
Location: Post-production studio
Building The Natural World
Post-production removed strings and wires through computer animation. Real animals were combined with fictional puppets, while several Czech landscapes supplied the environments.
Key Events
-
Effects Complexity Emerges — The project required unusually extensive visual-effects work.
Location: Post-production studio
-
Large Effects Workload — The film contained three times more visual effects than Dark Blue World.
Location: Post-production studio
-
Natural Creatures Added — Real animals were used alongside fictional puppet figures.
Location: Filmed environments
-
Winter Location Selected — Winter scenes were filmed at Ještěd.
Location: Ještěd
-
Forest Location Selected — Forest backgrounds were filmed near Bechyně and in Voděradské bučiny.
Location: Bechyně and Voděradské bučiny
-
Rock Location Selected — Sandstone-rock scenes were filmed at Drábské světničky.
Location: Drábské světničky
A Difficult Production
Filming began in autumn 2008 across multiple Czech locations. Production difficulties expanded the planned shoot from thirty-five days to one hundred days.
Key Events
-
Rock Location Selected — Sandstone-rock scenes were filmed at Drábské světničky.
Location: Drábské světničky
-
Production Starts — Production began in autumn 2008 at locations across the Czech Republic.
Location: Czech Republic
-
Schedule Expands — The planned thirty-five-day shoot expanded to one hundred days.
Location: Film sets
-
Extended Filming Continues — Production continued through the extended shooting period.
Location: Czech film locations
Completion And Release
The extensive puppet and visual-effects work was completed during post-production. The finished film was subsequently made available on iTunes.
Key Events
-
Film Completed — The technically demanding puppet and effects work was completed.
Location: Post-production studio
-
Digital Distribution — The completed film became available to watch on iTunes.
Location: iTunes
Young Ondra has asthma and so his parents throw away his favourite toy: a musty old stuffed bear named Kooky. That night Ondra dreams that Kooky is determined to find his way back home from the dump. In the boy's fantasy, the bear gets lost in a forest occupied by strange animals and remarkable beings that he never heard of while living on the toy shelf in Ondra's room. And of course even in this small imaginary world, true good exists as does real evil, which Kooky must face up to in order to become a real hero.
