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A Hugo and Rita Primer
18 years ago
General
Jungledyret Hugo is back, in his third animated feature! Many of you are probably asking yourselves “Jungledy-who?’ Hugo is a very popular animal character in his country of origin, Denmark. The word “Jungledyret” means “Jungle Animal”. Storybooks starring the “rarest animal in the world”, as well as two (2D) animated features, a 13 episode TV series, and now a 3D feature, released in December of 2007 have received high acclaim and many awards since 1989.
Hugo is the brainchild of Fleming Quist Moller, a writer, actor, voice actor, translator and jazz/world beat musician who created the small furry critter with the BIG attitude in stories he told to his young son, Carl, in 1964. In 1989 they published Hugo’s story in a children’s book, with illustrations by Carl, who is a professional illustrator and artist.
In 1993, A.Film, one of the most prolific animation studios in Europe, produced Jungledyret Hugo (sometimes called Go, Hugo, Go!), written and co-directed by FQM (who also provided some character voices). The film was a big hit, and in 2003 the same studio produced a second animated feature, “Hugo the Movie Star”, which was also a big hit. In 2006 the story in the films was continued in a 13 episode animated television series. The Jungledyret films and television series are unique in the story is continuous from the first film through the sequel, the 13- 22 minute television episodes and the latest 3D animated feature, “Jungledyret Hugo: Freak, Flabet og Fri” (Translated as “Brash, Cheeky and Free”, or “Frank, Flippant and Free”)
Hugo and his animal (and human) friends and foes have many wild adventures, but possibly the best (and furriest) thing about the Jungledyret series is the relationship of Hugo and his very best friend, the young vixen, Rita. Hugo, the rarest animal in the world, lives in the Amazon jungle where he survives mainly by his wits. He is small and looks a bit like a Kola with yellow fur, but has the ego and attitude of a creature 10 times his size. Hugo is a great storyteller. He tells tall tales that entertain his friends and frighten dangerous predators. In his jungle home, Hugo is the undisputed King of B.S.
Unfortunately for Hugo, his reputation for being the world’s most rare animal attracts a lot of the wrong kind of attention. His clever stories don’t work on humans (who, everyone knows, can’t understand animals), so he eventually gets captured and taken to the Big City (Copenhagen, of course), to be displayed and exploited in various nefarious ways. Lucky for him (and us), Hugo is found and befriended by the adolescent vixen, Rita. This foxy lady was born in a den by the railroad tracks and raised in the city. She is street-wise and rough enough to be able to survive the urban environment, and a perfect foil for the brash but befuddled Hugo. In spite of the clash of egos and some heated arguments, it becomes obvious that Hugo and Rita are made for each other!
Their animated adventures are considered children’s fare, but Hugo and Rita have many teen and adult fans. Some of these fans create original artwork, collect images and screen captures, and even make romantic music videos. If you search around FA or any other furry art sites you will likely come across images of Hugo and Rita, usually very cute and affectionate… sometimes a bit more… provocative. FMQ, Hugo and Rita’s “dad”, once answered a young fans inquiry wondering if Hugo and Rita were going to have a child, and if so, who would it look most like? He answered that Hugo and Rita were still to young to think about that sort of thing, and we’d just have to wait and see. When early concept art for the new feature was released, it showed Hugo and Rita with a small, yellow pup that looked like it might be a hybrid of them. The fans went crazy with speculation, but it was finally revealed that the pup was a lost bush dog that Hugo and Rita take care of for a while. Even though fans were disappointed that their favorite couple were not actually parents, at least we get to see that Hugo and Rita do have parental potential. Like FQM said, we just have to wait and see…
I hope this little primer has answered some questions and perhaps peaked some interest in Hugo and Rita. If you search for “jungledyret” on YouTube, you can find a wealth of material. Recently, both animated features (in 8 minute sections), in original Danish and the English (Miramax Kids version, both films available on one DVD… not a bad translation, considering, but edited, unfortunately, for us “sensitive” Americans), all 13 episodes of the television series (in Danish), several songs from the films, the teaser, trailer, and a couple of interviews about the new 3D feature (Danish), and some home-made music videos starring Hugo and Rita and some other animated characters. There is an interactive web site for the new feature: jungledyret.dk, and a very nice fan site: jungledyret.com, populated with some great people who answered my annoying questions and provided information for this article.
If you look around, I’m sure your find out why they say “everyone’s furry for Rita!”
Hugo is the brainchild of Fleming Quist Moller, a writer, actor, voice actor, translator and jazz/world beat musician who created the small furry critter with the BIG attitude in stories he told to his young son, Carl, in 1964. In 1989 they published Hugo’s story in a children’s book, with illustrations by Carl, who is a professional illustrator and artist.
In 1993, A.Film, one of the most prolific animation studios in Europe, produced Jungledyret Hugo (sometimes called Go, Hugo, Go!), written and co-directed by FQM (who also provided some character voices). The film was a big hit, and in 2003 the same studio produced a second animated feature, “Hugo the Movie Star”, which was also a big hit. In 2006 the story in the films was continued in a 13 episode animated television series. The Jungledyret films and television series are unique in the story is continuous from the first film through the sequel, the 13- 22 minute television episodes and the latest 3D animated feature, “Jungledyret Hugo: Freak, Flabet og Fri” (Translated as “Brash, Cheeky and Free”, or “Frank, Flippant and Free”)
Hugo and his animal (and human) friends and foes have many wild adventures, but possibly the best (and furriest) thing about the Jungledyret series is the relationship of Hugo and his very best friend, the young vixen, Rita. Hugo, the rarest animal in the world, lives in the Amazon jungle where he survives mainly by his wits. He is small and looks a bit like a Kola with yellow fur, but has the ego and attitude of a creature 10 times his size. Hugo is a great storyteller. He tells tall tales that entertain his friends and frighten dangerous predators. In his jungle home, Hugo is the undisputed King of B.S.
Unfortunately for Hugo, his reputation for being the world’s most rare animal attracts a lot of the wrong kind of attention. His clever stories don’t work on humans (who, everyone knows, can’t understand animals), so he eventually gets captured and taken to the Big City (Copenhagen, of course), to be displayed and exploited in various nefarious ways. Lucky for him (and us), Hugo is found and befriended by the adolescent vixen, Rita. This foxy lady was born in a den by the railroad tracks and raised in the city. She is street-wise and rough enough to be able to survive the urban environment, and a perfect foil for the brash but befuddled Hugo. In spite of the clash of egos and some heated arguments, it becomes obvious that Hugo and Rita are made for each other!
Their animated adventures are considered children’s fare, but Hugo and Rita have many teen and adult fans. Some of these fans create original artwork, collect images and screen captures, and even make romantic music videos. If you search around FA or any other furry art sites you will likely come across images of Hugo and Rita, usually very cute and affectionate… sometimes a bit more… provocative. FMQ, Hugo and Rita’s “dad”, once answered a young fans inquiry wondering if Hugo and Rita were going to have a child, and if so, who would it look most like? He answered that Hugo and Rita were still to young to think about that sort of thing, and we’d just have to wait and see. When early concept art for the new feature was released, it showed Hugo and Rita with a small, yellow pup that looked like it might be a hybrid of them. The fans went crazy with speculation, but it was finally revealed that the pup was a lost bush dog that Hugo and Rita take care of for a while. Even though fans were disappointed that their favorite couple were not actually parents, at least we get to see that Hugo and Rita do have parental potential. Like FQM said, we just have to wait and see…
I hope this little primer has answered some questions and perhaps peaked some interest in Hugo and Rita. If you search for “jungledyret” on YouTube, you can find a wealth of material. Recently, both animated features (in 8 minute sections), in original Danish and the English (Miramax Kids version, both films available on one DVD… not a bad translation, considering, but edited, unfortunately, for us “sensitive” Americans), all 13 episodes of the television series (in Danish), several songs from the films, the teaser, trailer, and a couple of interviews about the new 3D feature (Danish), and some home-made music videos starring Hugo and Rita and some other animated characters. There is an interactive web site for the new feature: jungledyret.dk, and a very nice fan site: jungledyret.com, populated with some great people who answered my annoying questions and provided information for this article.
If you look around, I’m sure your find out why they say “everyone’s furry for Rita!”
(and I do appreciate it as a former journalist for the most famous french japanime magazine, AnimeLand)