Willy the Sparrow

"What would it feel like to be a bird and fly over the trees and housetops?"

1989 1h 16m HU

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 24

FamilyAnimationFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Vili fakes illness so he doesn't have to take a math test. Instead, he starts shooting at sparrows from the window with an air rifle. The kindly old lady who feeds the birds turns out to be a real-life fairy who tries to turn Vili into a good boy.

“What would it feel like to be a bird and fly over the trees and housetops?”

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Cast

Levente Igaz
Vili, a verébbé változott fiú (voice)
Klári Tolnay
Verbéna, a tündér (voice)
József Székhelyi
Cip úr, az idős veréb (voice)
Eszter Kárász
Füles, Vili húga (voice)
Cecília Esztergályos
Cili, a macska (voice)
Mátyás Usztics
Spagyi, a főveréb (voice)
József Gyabronka
Csures, Spagyi alvezére (voice)
Tibor Szilágyi
Krampusz, a kandúr (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: József Gémes
Writers: József Gémes, József Nepp
Languages: Hungarian
Countries: Hungary

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 76-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

37 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by József Gémes, shot by Erzsébet Nemes. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Zsolt Pethő. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Magda Hap shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Levente Igaz and Klári Tolnay and József Székhelyi carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "What would it feel like to be a bird and fly over the trees and housetops?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

József Gémes directs. Erzsébet Nemes behind the camera. Zsolt Pethő scores. Magda Hap cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Hungary. Dialogue in Hungarian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 76-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
237 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by József Gémes, shot by Erzsébet Nemes. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Zsolt Pethő. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Magda Hap shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Levente Igaz and Klári Tolnay and József Székhelyi carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "What would it feel like to be a bird and fly over the trees and housetops?".
9IMDB entry: tt0098598 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 24 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.