Twelve Months (1980)

Twelve Months is a 1980 Japanese-Soviet, anime film. It is based on the story of the same title by Samuil Yakolevich Marshak. It is a co-production between Toei Animation and Soyuzmultfilm, the latter of which produced an earlier adaptation on its own from 1956. In 1984, it was released on VHS in America as part of the Magic Window series.

Plot
When a mother and daughter hear of a spoiled queen offering a reward of gold coins to whoever brings her the spring wildflowers called Galanthus or Snowdrops she demands, despite them not blossoming in the winter, they have their stepdaughter and stepsister, Anja, go out in a blizzard one night to fetch those for them anyway. However, Anja happens to come across a dozen spirits known as the Twelve Months, representing each month of the year and having the power to change the weather, climate, and seasons. Because of Anja's kind heart, they change the season for her and Snowdrops bloom so that she is able to get them. In exchange, she must never tell anyone about her meeting them nor how she managed to obtain the flowers. After the queen learns of this, she demands to be taken to the place where the flowers were found to see for herself.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) This adaptation is just as great as the 1956 version. It remains true enough to the original story and has several similarities to the original with few differences to set it apart from that.
 * 2) This rendition is well-written in its own right.
 * 3) The art style is just as nice as that of the 1956 adaptation and the animation is nothing to complain about at all.
 * 4) Many of the characters in this version are just as great as those in the 1956 version. Especially Anja and the queen, despite them having different social classes and statuses. Anja is a kind-hearted and loyal commoner who is also sympathetic due to her situation of living with and working for her stepmother, and stepsister, Lena. The queen is a royal member of the upper class who is spoiled and silly with the laws she creates. She may seem mean on the surface, but that's because with the upbringing she had, this is all she knows and doesn't know the proper way to behave and treat others. But deep down, she has a nice side and isn't so bad after all.
 * 5) The character designs of this are just as great as the previous interpretation.
 * 6) The music is nicely composed and performed, especially the one, vocal song early in the film.
 * 7) The voice work in the English version is among the better ones featured in anime.
 * 8) The dialogue is well-written and sensible.
 * 9) The stepmother and Leah get their retribution after how they treated Anja and later bicker with each other.
 * 10) It has a teachable moment of showing humility and kindness. As the saying goes for the latter, "An act of kindness can go a long way". Another lesson is that even though one may be in a bad situation, there is a will and a way that things will work themselves out in the end.

Trivia

 * Of all the characters in this, only a couple of them are metioned by name: Anja and Lena.

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