The Seventh Brother
The Seventh Brother is a 1995 animated fantasy-comedy-drama film for children directed by Jenő Koltai and Tibor Hernádi and produced at Hungary's Pannonia Film Studio. It was co-produced with Magyar Televízió, Germany's RealFilm, and the United States´s Feature Films for Families.
Plot summary
The story begins in the forest, with the viewer being addressed by a owl named Dr. Albert E. Owl, a "famous storyteller". Noting that the viewer is lost in the forest, he decides to recount the tale of a Jack Russell Terrier puppy named Tiny.The doctor's tale begins the previous spring, with Tiny in a yellow vintage car with his owner, a little girl named Angie and her grandpa after an enjoyable trip to a big city. On the way home, their car breaks down in the middle of a storm and the grandpa goes out to fix it. Angie goes out to help, telling Tiny to stay in the car, but leaving the door open. Spotting a frog outside, Tiny goes after it, but falls down a hill. Heartbroken, he decides to wait out the storm by sleeping in a little hollowed-out area in a bush.
The next morning, a group of rabbits discover Tiny. They thought Tiny is a monster, but the leader of the group, the ruffian of the family, J.C. and it feels that he should be left to survive on his own; luckily, one of his sisters, Joanna, decides that they should help him. She quickly convinces her siblings to join up after putting the matter to a vote with the other rabbits --- Rebecca, Mimi, Cody, Marty and Tiny is welcomed into the family as a "bunny-puppy". Tiny accepts, but on one condition, they must come back later to see if Angie came back. The bunnies agree and bring him back to their home following a musical number in which they introduce themselves. However, they teach him to act like a rabbit, such as hopping and keeping his ears up straight. J.C. is frustrated with Tiny because he doesn't act like a rabbit, but when J.C. is caught by a hawk, Tiny scares the hawk away by barking at it, causing it to release J.C. and fly away in a panic. Because of this, the family afterwards decides to accept Tiny as their brother, which makes the puppy very happy, although their parents are afraid at first.
The morning after, Miss Magpie, the nosy leader of the forest, is very scared of the news and tells her friend, Birdie, and the whole forest about it. Most of the forest is scared of Tiny at first, but when they see that he isn't vicious, the animals are relieved. The sole exception for this rule is Miss Magpie, who is still heavily convinced that he is a monster. When Tiny smells the scent of his owners and hears Angie calling for him, he runs up the hill to the road where he first met the bunnies. But when he arrives, he is too late, and thinks that his owners don't want him anymore; luckily, his new family is able to "turn his frown upside down". Miss Magpie hires a predatory red fox named Mr. Fox to hunt the rabbits, but Tiny teaches them to growl at him, which scares Mr. Fox and sends him running. Human poachers arrive in the forest to try and kill the bunnies, but the puppy teaches the rabbits to howl while hiding in their home, which send the poachers running.
Later that night, a flood reaches the rabbits' home. J.C. and his father stay in their hole trying to dig their way out while the other rabbits climb up a branch, but Cody is caught in the raging waters and Tiny jumps in. The puppy saves Cody, and the rabbits hop onto dry land, but J.C. and their dad are still in their hole trying to digging. Tiny saves them and is accepted by the parents.
Winter is not far from arrival, and Miss Magpie mocks Tiny for being a dog, and so not knowing how to prepare for winter. Unfortunately for her, fortunes turn when a weasel tries to kill her because she failed to stop the rabbits. The weasel bites Tiny's leg, but he eventually throws the weasel into a pond. Fearing for his safety, Miss Magpie warns the rabbits. When the rabbits discover that Tiny is alive, they celebrate. But he is sick due to the effects of the bite, and he is taken to see Dr. Owl, who tells the parents that he must be returned to his owners. The rabbits carry Tiny back home, but along the way, they come across a big crease between two hills. J.C. uses a large stick to successfully carry the family over the crease, and they finally reach his owners' home. As Tiny is dragged into his doghouse, the rabbits howl and then disappear, causing Angie to wonder if it's her puppy howling. When Angie sees Tiny, she and her grandpa are very happy to see him again and welcome him home.
Cast
Hungarian version
- Csongor Szalay - Vacak
- Balázs Simonyi - Tasli
- Álmos Előd - Okoska
- Balázs Szvetlov - Malé
- Kata Nemes-Takách - Karotta
- Dani Halasi - Pufi
- Zsófia Manya - Musz-Musz
- Iván Verebély - Nyuszipapa
- Györgyi Andai - Nyuszimama
- Gyula Szabó - Bagoly
- Károly Kassai - Szarka
- György Simon - Nagypapa
- Julcsi Szönyi - Ágnes
- Vilmos Izsóf - Hugó
- Endre Botár - Elek
- Magdolna Menszátor - Anya
- András Stohl - Sün
- Tibor Kristóf - Héja
- Péter Barbinek - Róka
German version
- Constantin von Jascheroff - Bobo
- Jan Steilen - Theo
- Shalisar Haftchenari - Julchen
- Matthias Ruschke - Maxie
- Lena Krüper - Karotta
- Stanley Dannbrück - Puffer
- Jana Raschke - Coco
- Theo Branding - Hubert
- Beate Hasenau - Elster
- Renier Baaken - Opi
- Katja Liebing - Angie
- Joachim Kemmer - Habicht
- Claus Wilcke - dr. Eule
- Gerd Duwner - Max
- Regine Albrecht, Gisela Ferber, Fabian Kärner, Michaela Kametz, Gerd Kilbinger, Jürg Löw, Lou Richter, Christian Rode, Friedrich Schoenfelder, Santiago Ziesmer, and Wolfgang Ziffer - Additional voices
English version
- Aaron Bybee - Tiny
- Joey Lopez - J.C.
- Christina Schaub - Rebecca
- Logan Hall - Marty
- Laura Schulties - Joanna
- Andrew Soren - Cody
- Sarah Baker - Mimi
- Mary Sperry - Mrs. Rabbit
- Scott Wilkinson - Mr. Rabbit /Poacher 3/Weasel
- Joe Requa - Dr. Albert E. Owl
- Linda Bierman - Mrs. Magpie
- Dick Canaday - Grandpa
- Danielle Halliday - Angie
- Don A. Judd - Silly Crow
- Mary Parker Williams - Mrs. Bird
- Carson Boss - Mr. Bird
- Jim Wright - Groundhog
- Duane Stevens - Father Hedgehog
- Karily Baker - Whiny Hedgehog/Sniffing Mouse
- Nate Gee - Spikey 2/Squirrel 3/Tiny 2
- Justin Martin - Spikey 3/Squirrel 4
- Richard Bugg - Fox
- Mark Probert - Hawk
- Rick Macy - Stork/Poacher 1
- Aaron Watson - Alf/Poacher 2
- Aisha Mortimer - Squirrel 1
- Lance Bradshaw - Squirrel 2
- Wade Wisan - Squirrel 5
- Sydney Lowry - Mouse
- Mel Martin - Melk the Elk
- Annie Baker - Forest Animal
- Jacque Pace, Kaye Tolbert, Brooks Holm, Christy Peterson, Cindy Overstreet and Kerri Odom - Ladies Bird Group
Soundtrack
- The Name Song
- *Music by Kurt Bestor, Sam Cardon, Merrill B. Jenson
- The Danger's All Around Us
- *Music by Kurt Bestor, Sam Cardon, Merrill B. Jenson
- There Is A Home
- *Music by Kurt Bestor, Sam Cardon, Merrill B. Jenson
- I Miss You
- *Music by Kurt Bestor, Sam Cardon, Merrill B. Jenson
Release and reception
The English version was re-edited from the German and Hungarian versions, with Angie and her grandfather being established to be Tiny's owners toward the start, and the reason why he disappeared was because he tried chasing a frog rather than being dumped by his old owner, and they even go to try and find him when they realize he's missing but are unable to do so. Another change involves Dr. Albert E. Owl's role being expanded to him being the film's narrator and framing device rather than just being a storyteller owl. One scene where JC is shown fighting a silhouette of Mickey Mouse was removed from the English version for copyright reasons.
It was seen by over 150,000 viewers in Germany, and 3,042 in Switzerland's German-speaking region, during its original theatrical run.
Novelisations of the film were published in Germany and Hungary.