Twelve Months (1980 film)

is a 1980 animated feature film directed by Yugo Serikawa, Kimio Yabuki and Tetsuo Imazawa, produced by Toei Animation from Japan in partnership with Soyuzmultfilm from the Soviet Union. It was based on the fairy tale of the same name written by Samuil Marshak. The music was composed by Vladimir Ivanovich Krivtsov () and performed by the National Leningrad Philharmonic under the direction of A. S. Dmitriev. Famous manga artist Osamu Tezuka served as co-producer and character designer on the film.
==Plot synopsis==
A spoiled, young queen asks for the impossible during a cold winter and requests for a bouquet of Galanthus, a spring wildflower, for New Year's Day in exchange for a reward of gold. One greedy woman desires to collect the bounty and instead of sending her own daughter, readily sends her young stepdaughter, Anja, to look for the white-blossomed flowers in the deep forest during a night snowstorm despite knowing the task will be impossible. Despite refusing, Anja is cast into the blizzard by her stepmother and in the barren forest, falls unconscious from the freezing cold. Later, she is awoken and is drawn to a light in the distance from a mysterious bonfire, surrounded by spirits whom reveal themselves as the Twelve Months. Learning of her task, the twelve spirits take pity on Anja. They use their powers to temporarily bring spring to allow the flowers to grow and be collected but requests no one is to know how and where she obtained the Galanthus. A grateful Anja returns home with the requested flowers and the bouquet is presented to the Queen by her stepmother and stepsister. However, the dissatisfied queen wishes to see where the flowers grow for herself.
==Cast==
Character 	Original 	English
Anja 	Shinobu Otake 	Corinne Orr
Queen 	Ai Kanzaki 	Paula Parker
Stepmother 	Tokuko Sugiyama 	Joan Shepard
Stepmother's daughter	Mariko Mukai 	Jenn Thompson
Professor 	Ichirō Nagai 	Unknown
Prime Minister 	Masashi Amenomori	Unknown
Officer 	Daisuke Ryu 	Unknown
January 	Kiyoshi Kobayashi	Unknown
April 	Katsuji Mori 	Unknown
December 	Hidekatsu Shibata	Unknown
Soldier 	Masato Yamanouchi	Earl Hammond
Young soldier 	Kōji Yakusho 	Unknown
===Additional Voices===
*Original: Hidekatsu Shibata
*Ray Owens, John Bellucci, Pierre Cache
==See also==
*List of animated feature films
==References==
==External links==
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Category:1980 anime films
Category:1980 in the Soviet Union
Category:Anime and manga based on fairy tales
Category:Fantasy anime and manga
Category:Films based on fairy tales
Category:Films based on Russian folklore
Category:Soviet animated films
Category:Soviet films
Category:Toei Animation films
Category:Toei Company films
Category:Japanese films