Mavka: The Forest Song (2023) on Netflix
NR20231h 39mAnimationComedyFantasy
Mavka, a forest nymph, is chosen as the woods' new Guardian. She meets Lukas, a village musician, and love grows between them, though Kylina arrives with plans for the forest.
- Netflix3.6/5
- IMDb6.6/107,401 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes77%
Trailer
Plot summary
The Enchanted Forest is fed by the Source of Life, a magical tree that has long been tended by its guardian, Lesh. Now Lesh has lost much of his strength, and the Supreme Spirits of Nature must decide who will take his place. Ondina, a water nymph, questions whether Mavka's gentle nature suits the task. In a village near the woods, Kylina presents herself as the sawmill owner's heiress and offers a large sum to anyone willing to cross the Dark Mountain, which the villagers fear. Lukas, a young musician, needs money for medicine for his uncle Leo, so he takes her job and is told to bring back a leaf from a special tree. In the forest he meets Mavka, who hears him play and decides he means no harm.
Cast
- Artem Pyvovarovas Lucas (voice)
Show all 19 cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Mavka: The Forest Song (2023)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- By February 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Mavka: The Forest Song was in its final stage of development. Some animators were in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territory and some joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but the studio reorganized in about a week and work continued.
- Mavka: The Forest Song took seven years to produce, and its Ukrainian opening in March 2023 set box office records in the country, beating out Avatar: The Way of Water with 189,048 admissions.
- Ukrainian band DakhaBrakha composed the soundtrack of Mavka: The Forest Song and appear as animated versions of themselves in the film as Lukas's friends, the village musicians. The production team recreated authentic dance and ceremonial elements with experts from the Ivan Honchar Museum, including an authentic vesnyanka spring folk song.
- Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, English became the main language of Mavka: The Forest Song and its original lip-sync was made in English; the trial voice recordings were done in New York at the peak of lockdowns, using a remote-access recording system set up by 3beep with the Postmodern studio.
