Goat Story - The Old Prague Legends () is a 2008 Czech 3D computer-animated fantasy comedy film produced and directed by Jan Tománek and written by Tománek with David Sláma. The first Czech-produced feature-length computer-animated film, it features animation by Art And Animation studios, and was released May 19, 2010 in the USA.
The film features the voices of Jiří Lábus, Matěj Hádek, Mahulena Bočanová, Michal Dlouhý, Petr Pelzer, Jan Přeučil, Viktor Preiss, Miroslav Táborský, Karel Heřmánek, Petr Nárožný, Dalimil Klapka, Pavel Rímský, Ota Jirák, Filip Jevič and Justin Svoboda. Produced over the course of five years with a budget of $1.8 million, only about ten animators and 3D graphic designers created it.
Goat Story was released in theatres on October 16, 2008 by Bontonfilm, and it won the main prize at the 2010 Buenos Aires International Children's Film Festival, and received nominations at other film festivals. A sequel, Goat Story 2, was released in 2012.
Plot
The story takes place in Prague during the reign of Charles IV, when the Charles Bridge and Prague Astronomical Clock were still undergoing construction. A villager whose name is Jemmy arrives in the capital from the countryside with his Goat. A poor student named Matthew arrives Prague to study with .
Jemmy and Goat stay in Prague to do work on the bridge. It is here that Jemmy sees Katie for the first time, and immediately falls in love with her. Katie is a city girl who supplies forged nails for the bridge's construction. Jemmy ends up causing the scaffolding on a side of the bridge to fall due to his carving of a statue of Katie from a support beam. He and his goat are banned by the workers.
In the meantime, Master Hanuš looks for sculptors and carvers for the Astronomical Clock statues. He catches a glimpse of Jemmy, and is interested with his natural woodcarving talent. Matthew, being the target of ridicule by other students because of his poverty, studies with Master Hanuš, too. He has gained his teacher's trust, and oversees the plans of the Astronomical Clock. Since Matthew has nowhere to sleep, he finds the in Prague, already abandoned at the time.
Thanks to his classmates' frequent ridicule, he succumbs to the lure and then picks up a grey tolar in Faust's house to pay for his classmates' drinks and fit in with his peers. However, they deceive him and destroy the plans to the Astronomical Clock while they are unguarded. The unsuspecting Matthew gives the ruined plans back to Master Hanuš. The Prague councilors discover the damaged plans, and demand punishment of the problem. Matthew is placed in a pillory for one day. Because he never knows what he did wrong, he plans to take revenge on Master Hanuš. When Master Hanuš and Jemmy complete the Astronomical Clock, they get no respect or recognition.
The Chinese ask Master Hanuš to make an astronomical clock in their city, too. Matthew glimpses this discussion, who meanwhile signed his contract with Satan.
He writes a letter to Prague councilors explaining to them that Hanuš is a traitor. The mayor entrusts the executioner of Mydlář to cut out Hanuš's eyes. Hanuš wants to take revenge for this violence, and ruins his own astronomical clock by sabotaging the gears. Jemmy, as his assistant, is commissioned to fix the astronomical clock under Katie's threat being executed if he fails to do so in time. Jemmy fixes the astronomical clock at the last minute but arrives at the gallows too late, and Katie has been hanged already.
Jemmy is at a church praying to God to give Katie back to him. It is at that moment that Katie comes into the church. Later, it is revealed that Jemmy's goat disguised herself as Katie, and was hanged in her place. As the goat falls from the gallows, it is revealed that she had an iron tube in her throat the whole time, and it meant her neck was never snapped and survived the hanging.
Voice cast
Jiří Lábus as Goat
Matěj Hádek / Mike Buffo (English version) as Jemmy
Mahulena Bočanová / Jo-Anne Krupa (English version) as Katie
Michal Dlouhý as Matthew
Petr Pelzer as Master Hanuš
Jan Přeučil as Purkmistr
Viktor Preiss as Konšel
Miroslav Táborský as Priest Ignác
Karel Heřmánek as Devil / Leader
Petr Nárožný as Beggar
Dalimil Klapka as Beggar
Pavel Rímský as Beggar
Ota Jirák as Taverner
Filip Jevič as Student
Justin Svoboda as Student
Luba Goy as Cořum (English version)