Tyll the Giant (Suur Tõll) is an Estonian short animated film from the Soviet era, released in 1980. It was made by Rein Raamat, one of the earliest and most well-known Estonian directors of animated films. The film has nationalistic elements, and was frowned on by the Soviet authorities. It has more music than words, but it is nominally in Estonian.
Tyll the Giant is a figure from Estonian folk mythology. He was said to have lived on and ruled over the Estonian island Saaremaa. The legends tell of him defeating a demon that had long been trying to harm him, though eventually he is decapitated. He vows to return from the dead if anyone ever needs his help, though this led to a children’s tradition of calling his name to see if he would appear; so he soon stopped.
Tyll the Giant is one of several cultural productions about the giant. This particular cartoon tells the story of Tyll’s battles with the demon and then his own death, though it ends on a happy(ish) note, with Tyll’s vow to return from the dead if necessary. In Raamat’s opinion, the film tells the story of a hero dying for the sake of his nation’s freedom—so one can see how it might not have appealed to Soviet authorities. Tyll’s eyes were even in the colors of the forbidden Estonian flag (white, black, and blue), compounding the problem. The film didn’t last long on the Soviet market, but did make it to a number of international film festivals, where it was amply awarded.
Raamat himself had an animation career spanning more than 20 years. He has been given many lifetime achievement awards from Estonian and international organizations, and is an Estonian SSR Distinguished Artist (Eesti NSV teeneline kunstnik). Some of his other notable films include Field (Põld) and Hell (Põrgu).
Director: Rein Raamat
Production company: Tallinnfilm
The full film:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DUhv7lTAuk
The very different Hell (Põrgu), 1983:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQWuw7UNwG0
