Goat Story

The story takes place in Prague during the reign of Charles IV, when the Charles Bridge and Prague Astronomical Clock were still under construction a villager named Jemmy comes to the capital from the countryside with his Goat. A poor student named Matthew comes to Prague to study with Master Hanuš. Jemmy and Koza stay in Prague to work on the bridge. It is here that Jemmy sees Katie for the first time and immediately falls in love with her. Katie is a city girl who supplies forged nails for the construction of the bridge. Jemmy ends up causing the scaffolding on one side of the bridge to fall because he was carving a statue of Katie from one of the support beams, he and his goat are expelled by the workers. Meanwhile, Master Hanuš is looking for sculptors and carvers for the Astronomical Clock statues, he spots Jemmy and is interested with his natural woodcarving talent. Matthew, who is the target of ridicule by other students due to his poverty, also studies with Master Hanuš. He has gained the trust of his teacher and is overseeing the plans of the Astronomical Clock. Because Matthew has nowhere to sleep, he finds the Faust House in Prague, already abandoned at the time. Thanks to his classmates' constant ridicule, he succumbs to the lure and picks up a silver tolar in Faust's house to pay for his classmates' drinks and fit in with his peers. However, they deceive him and destroy the plans to the Astronomical Clock while they're unguarded. The unsuspecting Matthew hands the ruined plans back to Master Hanuš. The Prague councilors discover the damaged plans and demand punishment of the culprit. Matthew is put in a pillory for a day and because he does not know what he did wrong, he decides to avenge Hanuš. When Master Hanuš and Jemmy complete the Astronomical Clock, they get no respect or recognition. The Chinese offer Master Hanuš to build an astronomical clock in their city as well. Matthew witnesses this discussion, who in the meantime signed his contract with the Devil, he writes a letter to Prague councilors telling them that Hanus is a traitor. He entrusts the executioner of Mydlář to cut Hanuš's eyes out. Hanuš wants to take revenge for this violence and ruins his own astronomical clock by sabotaging the gears. Jemmy, as his assistant, is commissioned to repair the astronomical clock under the threat of Katie being executed should he fail to do so in time. Jemmy fixes the astronomical clock at the last minute, but arrives at the gallows too late, Katie has already been hung. Jemmy is at a church praying for God to bring Katie back to him, it is at that moment that Katie enters the church. Later it is revealed that Jemmy's goat disguised herself as Katie and was hanged in her place. As the goat falls from the gallows, it is revealed that she had an iron tube in her throat the entire time, meaning her neck was never snapped and she survived the hanging.

• Jiří Lábus as Goat
• Matěj Hádek as Jemmy
• Mahulena Bočanová as Katie
• Michal Dlouhý as Matthew
• Petr Pelzer as Master Hanuš
• Jan Přeučil as Purkmistr
• Viktor Preiss as Konšel
• Miroslav Táborský as Priest Ignác
• Karel Heřmánek as Devil / Leader
• Petr Nárožný as Beggar
• Dalimil Klapka as Beggar
• Pavel Rímský as Beggar
• Ota Jirák as Taverner
• Filip Jevič as Student
• Justin Svoboda as Student
• Mike Buffo as Jemmy (English version)
• Luba Goy as Cořum (English version)
• Jo-Anne Krupa as Katie (English version)

Jan Tománek is the film's director, producer, writer and editor.

On 14 October 2001, it was announced that Jan Tománek was hired and set to direct, produce and write Goat Story - The Old Prague Legends. David Sláma co-wrote the script for the film. The film budget was just $1.8 million for release in 2008. On 5 June 2003, it was announced that Jiří Lábus, Matěj Hádek, Mahulena Bočanová, Michal Dlouhý, Petr Pelzer, Jan Přeučil, Viktor Preiss, Miroslav Táborský, Karel Heřmánek, Petr Nárožný, Dalimil Klapka, Pavel Rímský, Ota Jirák, Filip Jevič and Justin Svoboda joined the film.

Mike Buffo and Jo-Anne Krupa joined the cast on 9 July to voice Jemmy and Katy in the English version produced by Karl Hirsh. On 10 December 2005, it was announced that David Solař would compose the music for the film. Development, animation, lighting, color and storyboarding of the film was completed in Prague, Czech Republic. On 8 March 2007, Phase 4 Films and Bontonfilm acquired distribution rights to the film.

Goat Story received a theatrical release on 16 October 2008 by Bontonfilm.

A sequel, Goat Story 2 was released in 2012.

• List of animated feature films
• List of computer-animated films
• Prague Astronomical Clock

• Official English website
• Official Czech website
• AAA Studio's YouTube channel
• Goat Story on YouTube for free
• Goat Story at IMDb
• Goat Story at Rotten Tomatoes