Māris Putniņš
Writing
Biography
Putniņš, head of the legendary Animācijas brigāde ("Animation Brigade") film studio, was a puppeteer, screenwriter, producer and author of children's books.
Known For

A classic story known all over the world that has captured and thrilled generations of children and adults now in puppet animation format. With all of the sense of childish enthusiasm intact, this romantic story disguised as humour and farce will once again delight.
The Three Musketeers

Prop & Berta is the story of a friendship between a little stout man and a big and proud cow, who are able to talk to each other. Together they confront an ugly and evil witch who is determined to get rid of them because they have moved into a house on the edge of her wood. The witch hates neighbours and through magic and evil planning she turns Prop and Berta's friends, the Teeny burpers, into dangerous hoodlums who begin to terrorize the nearby town. Prop and Berta manage to overcome the witch and turn her into a good person, restoring peace in the little town and breaking the spell which binds their friends.
Prop and Berta

Can you honestly swear that at least once in your life you have not thought that robbing a bank is a good idea? Especially, if you're five years old and that bank has just thrown your parents out of a brand new apartment, because your father has lost his job. Five year old Robby is no Zorro, but he'd like to be. His seven year old sister Louise thinks he's too childish, but can't resist the game of robbing a bank. Together they can pull off just about anything. Getting away with it is the hard part.
Little Robbers

No description available.
Attack On The Secret Police

Three hapless “rescuers” respond to surreal or everyday problems.
Rescue Team

The elderly nursing home residents for years feel worthless and troublesome. But then a crazy idea strikes them - to waive their pensions and enroll in the army as volunteers thus saving the country from financial crisis and spending excitingly the last years of their lives. The oldies are wise enough at organizing this event and now real adventures begin.
Then It's Hi! Hi! Hee!
A humorous puppet animation short by the idiosyncratic animation studio "Animācijas brigāde". It's morning in the forest, the Tiger and the Bird are waking up, but their usual morning routine gets interrupted by a misunderstanding that leads them down an eventful path along with all the other animals that happen to get in their way...
Morning!

Andulis, a little bat, wakes up at the wrong time and discovers that he, unlike his fellow bats, loves sunlight and warmth. After making friends with Little Mouse, who looks almost like him, Andulis is surprised to find out that, unlike his own dwelling, Little Mouse’s house is not upside down.
Upside Down

There is a huge uproar in the forest: Beaver’s teeth have been stolen. Detective Owl and his assistant Piglet are to investigate this mysterious crime. Several forest inhabitants appear to be possible suspects, but the guilty one is not so easily discovered.
Smile, My Friend!
A serious businessman buys a new car and discovers a major flaw in his shiny new pet - it won't start. With the help of the men of the Emergency Brigade, his car becomes the original eco-friendly means of transport.
The Car

A mysterious memory game about the Master – Arnolds Burovs (1915-2006), the founder of puppet animation in Latvia – retelling his life’s story through archival footage, film imagery and newly-created animation, which transports the Master to the dreamland of Bimini.
Master's Secret Life
A cat's "songs" late at night interrupt the retired man's sleep. The noise is getting intolerable and the old man calls The Rescue Team. They arrive immediately, without even finishing their supper.
Cats
A father goes to work in the morning, leaving his young son at home. The boy decides to take care of the birds he sees in the backyard, which he thinks have no real home. He builds a birdhouse and eventually the birds flock to his caring owner's backyard garden. When the parents return home in the evening, they find that the previously quiet and peaceful mansion is surrounded not only by birds but by a veritable garden of beasts...
A Birdcage

No one knows how it happened, but not long ago a Latvian bear arrived on the Estonian island of Ruhnu. The islanders were really afraid. At first they tried to catch the bear, but were only able to find his footprints. Later they invited a professional hunter from Finland with a special bear dog. Still no success...
The Bear is Coming!
Three men, Bembelats, Sīlinks, and Poteriks, work at the Opera, each in their own profession. Due to various comical, but for the men tragic, events, the guys are fired from their jobs. What should they do now? Their thoughts are interrupted by the desperate cries of a child. Without thinking twice, the men rush to save the child. This is how the Emergency Brigade is formed.
The Swan

No description available.
Le bal des lucioles & autres courts
Little Tigercrus has had enough of the carrots his mother gives him and goes in search of new treats. His mother follows him and gets trapped in a tree cavity, and as always Munch and his friend Lemmy come to the rescue...
Mamma
Strange things are happening in the Tiger’s garden. Someone has stolen his carrots and some of the carrots are growing ”up and down”.
Up and Down

A cinematographic animation film directed by Jānis Cimmermanis. The screenplay is based on a work by Fricis Dziesma published in 1948, on the tradition of grain threshing in the Kurzeme region. Alongside the human lives, there are also the joys and woes of the little animals, and the lively whirl of intertwining events carries the viewer into the distant past, perhaps recognizing the fond memories shared by their parents or grandparents.
Poēm pa kulšen

In the center of a small town there is a liquor store, every day a long line of people rubs impatiently by it. Thirteen-year-old Zigis sees his father here more and more often. The faces of many alcoholics have already been stamped by degradation, there is indifference in their eyes, they have lost interest in life. The boy realizes that such a terrible future also awaits the person closest to him. Not expecting to get help from anyone, Zigis decides on an unusual step: he goes to Marta, a popular healer, to save his father. On the way, the boy meets different people and experiences different attitudes towards himself, gets to know the contradictions of life.