Wish of the Fairy Fish

The 2023 Russian fantasy film, directed by Alexander Voytinsky, is an adaptation of the Russian folk tale of the same name. The story follows Emelya (Nikita Kologrivyy), the son of a blind blacksmith, who accidentally catches a magical pike sought by the underwater king Vodovik (Yuri Kolokolnikov). The talking pike promises to grant Emelya three wishes in exchange for its freedom. Emelya's first wish is to see the city without leaving his stove, which then sets off on its own. He then wishes for summer in the middle of winter, and the pike fulfills this second wish. After encountering robbers, Emelya throws the pike back into the river but finds himself in trouble. The pike transforms into a girl named Vasilisa (Mila Ershova) and rescues him. Emelya decides to marry Princess Anfisa (Alina Alekseeva), daughter of Tsar Feofan (Roman Madyanov), and embarks on a quest to find the self-playing bayan owned by the cat Bayun (Fyodor Lavrov). He then obtains the magic tablecloth from Obzhirala (Agrippina Steklova) and Obpivala (Alexander Gorokhov). To receive the blessing of Anfisa's deceased mother, Emelya travels to the afterlife, where he meets Koschei (Yuri Kolokolnikov) and the ghost of Tsarina Agrippina (Agrippina Steklova). Upon returning, Emelya realizes his love for Vasilisa and seeks to free her from Anfisa's control. Abusing magic, Anfisa transforms into a pike and falls under Vodovik's power. In the end, Emelya and Vasilisa set off on a journey together, and Tsar Feofan resumes his reign.