''Johnny Corncob'' () is a 1973 Hungarian animated adventure film directed by

Marcell Jankovics Marcell Jankovics (21 October 1941 – 29 May 2021) was a Hungarian graphic artist, film director, animator and author. He is best known for the animated films '' Johnny Corncob'' (1973; the first animated feature of his native country) and ' ...

. It tells the story of a young man who goes on an adventure as a soldier, while longing to be reunited with the woman he loves. The film is based on the 1845 epic poem ''

János vitéz János or Janos may refer to: * János, male Hungarian given name, a variant of John Places * Janos Municipality, a municipality of Chihuahua ** Janos, Chihuahua, town in Mexico ** Janos Biosphere Reserve, a nature reserve in Chihuahua * Janos ...

'' by

Sándor Petőfi Sándor Petőfi ( []; né Petrovics; sk, Alexander Petrovič; sr, Александар Петровић; 1 January 1823 – most likely 31 July 1849) was a Hungarian poet of Serbian origin and liberal revolutionary. He is considered Hungary' ...

. It was the first Hungarian animated feature film.

Cast

György Cserhalmi György Cserhalmi (born 17 February 1948, in Budapest) is a Hungarian actor. He graduated from the Actors Academy in 1971. He is also the founder of the Labdater Theatre in the Globe cultural centre. Employment *1971: Debrecen Csokonai Theat ...

as Jancsi (Johnny) * Anikó Nagy as Iluska (his girlfriend) * Erzsi Pártos as the Mostoha (Iluska's step-mother) * Antal Farkas as the Gazda (farmer) *

Gábor Mádi Szabó Gábor Mádi Szabó (1922–2003) was a Hungarian actor. Selected filmography * '' Mrs. Szabó'' (1949) * ''The Sea Has Risen'' (1953) * '' Two Confessions'' (1957) * '' The Smugglers'' (1958) * '' St. Peter's Umbrella'' (1958) * ''I'll Go to ...

as the Haramiavezér (bandit leader) *

György Bárdy György Bárdy (26 May 1921 – 27 May 2013) was a Hungarian film and television actor. Selected filmography * ''Valahol Európában'' (1948) * '' Nyugati övezet'' (1952) * ''Two Confessions'' (1957) * '' Pillar of Salt'' (1958) * ''A Few S ...

as the Hussar Captain * János Körmendi as the French king *

Erzsébet Kútvölgyi Erzsébet Kútvölgyi (born November 14, 1950) is a Jászai Mari Award and Kossuth Prize The Kossuth Prize ( hu, Kossuth-díj) is a state-sponsored award in Hungary, named after the Hungarian politician and revolutionist Lajos Kossuth. The Pr ...

as the Princess

Production

The film was commissioned by the Hungarian government for the 150th anniversary of

's birth. It was produced by Pannonia Film Studio and was Hungary's first ever animated feature film. It was made by a team of 130 people and took 22 months to produce. The visual style was inspired by

George Dunning George Garnett Dunning (November 17, 1920 – February 15, 1979) was a Canadian filmmaker and animator. He is known for animating and directing the 1968 film inspired by the Beatles, '' Yellow Submarine''. Biography Dunning was born in Toron ...

's 1968 film '' Yellow Submarine''.

Trivia

In HBTV, the cartoon was set to

Poco Poco was an American country rock band originally formed in 1968 after the demise of Buffalo Springfield. Guitarists Richie Furay and Jim Messina, former members of Buffalo Springfield, were joined by multi-instrumentalist Rusty Young, bassis ...

's Crazy Love and Stevie Wonder's Whereabouts even though it wasn't a Hanna-Barbera cartoon. This is because Hanna-Barbera had the distribution rights to the film at the time. Hanna-Barbera originally intended to release the film in the United States under the title "Forever Like The Rose". The film was planned to be released in 1978 but was ultimately shelved.

References

1970s adventure films 1970s romance films 1973 animated films 1973 films Films based on poems Films directed by Marcell Jankovics Hungarian animated films Hungarian romance films 1970s Hungarian-language films {{animation-film-stub