History Music / PeterAndTheWolf

* FatThinShortTrio: The hunters in the Disney version.

* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: How the HELL did Peter and Sasha go from [[ThisIsGonnaSuck cowering from an incoming wolf]] to [[spoiler: have the wolf bound and completely at their mercy?]] The Disney adaption sure isn't gonna tell you.

* AdaptationExpansion: The characters get backstories in the 2006 version. Peter is a poor boy in a shantytown; the hunters are drunken louts that [[spoiler:stuff him in a dumpster and threaten him with their guns]]. The Bird is a flightless crow that Peter assists with a helium balloon; the Cat is the grandfather's cherished pet, the duck is Peter's only real friend [[spoiler:until he's SwallowedWhole by the wolf.]] and even the wolf has a backstory in the [[AllThereInTheManual manual:]] [[spoiler:She's female and has a litter of pups that she is trying to feed.]]

* DeadHatShot: In the Disney animated adaptation of ''Peter and the Wolf'', the wolf chases the duck into a tree, and comes out with feathers flying, licking its chops. [[spoiler:Subverted when the duck turns up alive at the end.]]

* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: In the Disney version, the wolf is listed separately from the other characters, having a visual introduction rather than having its leitmotif described (it is never mentioned in the film that French horns are used for the wolf, unlike every other character). The narrator simply states, "There is also a wolf", in contrast to the fanfare he gave all of the other characters. This was likely to emphasize the wolf's lack of personality (see AlwaysChaoticEvil above).

* NamedByTheAdaptation: In the Disney adaptation, everyone (except the wolf and grandfather) are given names: Sascha (the bird); Sonia (the duck); Ivan (the cat); and Misha, Yasha and Vladimir (the hunters -- "that's Vladimir in the middle").

* SparedByTheAdaptation: Sonia the duck in the Disney version, who is swallowed alive in the original version.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: [[DownplayedTrope If you dig deep enough]]. Grandfather is a bit hard on Peter, telling him to stay out of the woods. However, seeing how Peter's parents are never even mentioned, it's strongly implied that they are dead. This makes his protectiveness over his son all the more understandable.

The work has been recorded numerous times by many different orchestras, and has also been adapted to a variety of other media, including animation, stop-motion animation, theatre and ballet. It has also inspired many variants and parodies, some of which include different characters and instruments. For a partial list, see the Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_and_the_wolf article]]. The best known of these adaptations in Western media is probably the one from Disney's ''Disney/MakeMineMusic'' (1946), which gives the animals and hunters names.

* CelebrityCameo: The fairy tale has been narrated by countless celebrities over the decades, including Basil Rathbone, Sterling Holloway (voice of [[Disney/TheManyAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh Winnie the Pooh in the original Disney cartoons]]), UsefulNotes/EleanorRoosevelt, Creator/AlecGuinness, Peter Ustinov (twice!), Creator/BorisKarloff, José Ferrer, Series/CaptainKangaroo, Music/LeonardBernstein, Creator/SeanConnery, Creator/RichardAttenborough, Creator/DavidAttenborough, Music/JacquesBrel, Mia Farrow, Music/DavidBowie, Terry Wogan, William F. Buckley Jr., Paul Hogan, John Gielgud (twice!), Music/{{Sting}}, Music/WeirdAlYankovic, Creator/PatrickStewart, Dame Edna, Creator/BenKingsley, Creator/AntonioBanderas, Creator/SophiaLoren (twice), UsefulNotes/BillClinton and UsefulNotes/MikhailGorbachev.

* FatCat: The cat in the 2006 film, who's [[http://www.suzietempleton.com/images/films/peter/stills/pwstill08.jpg almost spherical.]]

'''''Peter and the Wolf''''' (''Петя и волк'' in Russian) is a combination of children's story and musical composition by Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev. During performances, a narrator tells the story while accompanied by music played by an orchestra. Each character in the story is represented by a {{Leitmotif}} played on a unique instrument.

** Inverted by the Disney version, where the cat (described as "a peaceful, fun-loving sort, maybe a little shy on brains -- you know the type") takes on a much more heroic role. While initially trying to eat the bird, he afterwards teams up with Peter to capture the wolf and save the bird's life.

* ArtisticLicenseBiology: At one point in the 2006 film, the wolf slashes Peter across the face with its claws. While this is not technically ''impossible,'' it is still unlikely. Wolf claws are dull because they are used for traction while running and cannot be retracted. Swatting with a paw is a very cat-like action, and not something canines tend to do because they rely mainly on their jaws for fighting and hunting.

* NoNameGiven: Averted in the Disney adaptation, when everyone (except the wolf and grandfather) are given names: Sascha (the bird); Sonia (the duck); Ivan (the cat); and Misha, Yasha and Vladimir (the hunters -- "that's Vladimir in the middle").

* NecessaryEvil: In the 2006 version. The wolf isn't portrayed as a monster or demonic presence. The wolf was merely fulfilling her role in nature as a predator and kills because of hunger.

* SympathyForTheDevil: In the 2006 version, [[spoiler:Peter sees some bullies abusing the helpless wolf after she is captured. He realizes that she will die a slow, horrible death, either as a circus animal or by being butchered on the spot. He realizes that even though she'd inflicted that very fate on his friend the duck, she had only done what she did because it was her basic nature. He feels sorry for her, and releases her back into the wild - and back to her pups.]]

* DarkerAndEdgier or LighterAndSofter: These tropes apply to some adaptations. For example, the Creator/WaltDisney adaptation has Peter hunting the wolf using a [[NerfArm pop gun]] and makes it clear that [[spoiler:the duck survives]], whereas the Music/WeirdAlYankovic version makes it very clear that [[spoiler:the duck dies a [[CruelAndUnusualDeath horrible, painful and]] ''[[CruelAndUnusualDeath slow]]'' [[CruelAndUnusualDeath death]] inside the belly of the wolf... and then there's Neil Torbin's ''Peter and The Werewolf'' where [[spoiler: the duck (now a raven) is practically the SoleSurvivor]]... [[SincerityMode which was played for laughs]].

** Averted in "Weird Al" Yankovic's version. He goes for undiluted BlackHumor, where the duck dies a [[CruelAndUnusualDeath realistic and]] ''[[CruelAndUnusualDeath slow]]'' [[CruelAndUnusualDeath death]] inside the wolf's stomach.]]

* DarkerAndEdgier or LighterAndSofter: These tropes apply to some adaptations. For example, the Creator/WaltDisney adaptation has Peter hunting the wolf using a [[NerfArm pop gun]] and makes it clear that [[spoiler:the duck survives]], whereas the Music/WeirdAlYankovic version makes it very clear that [[spoiler:the duck dies a [[CruelAndUnusualDeath horrible, painful and]] ''[[CruelAndUnusualDeath slow]]'' [[CruelAndUnusualDeath death]] inside the belly of the wolf]]... and then there's Neil Torbin's ''Peter and The Werewolf'' where [[spoiler: the duck (now a raven) is practically the SoleSurvivor]]... [[SincerityMode which was played for laughs]].
** Then there is a middle ground of sorts in the 2006 version, where Peter is sullen and lonely boy living in a poor town, the hunters are drunken bullies, and the duck (Peter's best friend) is killed by the wolf and we see the whole thing. But then somewhat subverted in how the wolf is portrayed - she is dangerous since she is a hunter looking for a meal but also somewhat noble [[spoiler:in that she does not hurt anyone when Peter sets her free, walking beside him with an identical expression until they reach the city gates. The script reveals the intended unfilmed ending: The wolf was ''trying to find food for her pups,'' and returns to them after she is freed.]]

* DarkerAndEdgier or LighterAndSofter: These tropes apply to some adaptations. For example, the Creator/WaltDisney adaptation has Peter hunting the wolf using a [[NerfArm pop gun]] and makes it clear that [[spoiler:the duck survives]], whereas the Music/WeirdAlYankovic version makes it very clear that [[spoiler:the duck dies a [[CruelAndUnusualDeath horrible, painful and ''slow'' death]] inside the belly of the wolf]]... and then there's Neil Torbin's ''Peter and The Werewolf'' where [[spoiler: the duck (now a raven) is practically the SoleSurvivor]]... [[SincerityMode which was played for laughs]].

** Averted in "Weird Al" Yankovic's version. He goes for undiluted BlackHumor, where the duck dies a [[CruelAndUnusualDeath realistic and ''slow'' death inside the wolf's stomach.]]

* MenacingStroll: [[spoiler:When Peter frees the wolf, they stroll to the town gate together with identical DeathGlares. Nobody, but ''nobody'', dares get in their way.]]

* AdaptationExpansion: Many of the animals get backstories in the 2006 version. The Bird is a flightless crow that Peter assists with a helium balloon; the Cat is the grandfather's cherished pet, the duck is Peter's only real friend [[spoiler:until he's SwallowedWhole by the wolf.]] and even the wolf has a backstory in the [[AllThereInTheManual manual:]] [[spoiler:She's female and has a litter of pups that she is trying to feed.]]

* AdaptationalVillainy: The cat, in at least one version, is in cohorts with the wolf.

* NowIt'sPersonal: In the 2006 version, Peter's only real friends are the bird and the duck. When the wolf devours the duck alive, Peter assumes a DeathGlare worthy of the wolf herself, and from that point on, [[TheDeterminator stops at absolutely nothing]] to make sure she is captured - and suffers as he is suffering. [[spoiler:He gets better in the end, and as he's escorting the wolf to the city gates, BOTH of them now wear that expression.]]

** Then there is a middle ground of sorts in the 2006 version, where Peter is sullen and lonely boy living in a poor town, the hunters are drunken bullies, and the duck (Peter's best friend) is killed by the wolf and we see the whole thing. But then somewhat subverted in how the wolf is portrayed- she is dangerous since she is a hunter looking for a meal but also somewhat noble [[spoiler:in that she does not hurt anyone when Peter sets her free.]]

* DramaticTimpani: When the hunters enter, there are intermittent menacing timpani outbursts.

* NowItsPersonal: In the 2006 version, Peter's only real friends are the bird and the duck. When the wolf devours the duck alive, Peter gets a DeathGlare worthy of the wolf herself, and from that point on, [[TheDeterminator stops at absolutely nothing]] to make sure she is captured - and suffers as he is suffering.

* ButtMonkey: The duck.

* DarkerAndEdgier or LighterAndSofter: These tropes apply to some adaptations. For example, the Creator/WaltDisney adaptation has Peter hunting the wolf using a [[NerfArm pop gun]] and makes it clear that [[spoiler:the duck survives]], whereas the Music/WeirdAlYankovic version makes it very clear that [[spoiler:the duck dies a [[CruelAndUnusualDeath horrible, painful death]] inside the belly of the wolf]]... and then there's Neil Torbin's ''Peter and The Werewolf'' where [[spoiler: the duck (now a raven) is practically the SoleSurvivor]]... [[SincerityMode which was played for laughs]].

** BittersweetEnding: In the original Peter and the Wolf the story ends by revealing that the duck that had been eaten was [[SwallowedWhole swallowed alive]] by the wolf, creating only the vague possibility that the duck would be recovered.

** Averted in "Weird Al" Yankovic's version, where the duck dies a [[CruelAndUnusualDeath slow death inside the wolf]].

* NecessaryEvil: In the 2006 version. The wolf isn't portrayed as a monster or demonic presence. The wolf was merely fulfilling its role in nature as a predator and kills because of hunger.

* NoNameGiven: Averted in the Disney adaptation, when everyone (except the wolf and grandfater) is given names: Sascha (the bird); Sonia (the duck); Ivan (the cat); and Misha, Yasha and Vladimir (the hunters -- "that's Vladimir in the middle").

* SympathyForTheDevil: In the 2006 version, [[spoiler:Peter sees some bullies abusing the helpless wolf after she is captured, sees that there is no positive outcome for the wolf (be humiliated in the circus or be killed by the butcher), feels sorry for her, and releases her back into the wild.]]

* TranslationConvention: Surprisingly, averted in the Disney version. All the in-universe writing is in Russian and a narrator talks over the in-universe dialogue, at one point LeaningOnTheFourthWall when Sascha spells out "волк" in the snow, which the narrator reads as "W-O-L-F!"