Leafie, A Hen into the Wild

Lore & Background

The story follows Leafie, a hen living on a chicken farm in a battery cage, who dreams of being a mother but cannot incubate her own eggs. She escapes by playing dead and is saved from a one-eyed weasel by a mallard duck named Wanderer. After Wanderer's mate is killed by the weasel, Leafie agrees to care for Wanderer's egg. The egg hatches into a duckling named Greenie, who imprints on Leafie as his mother. Leafie raises Greenie, teaching him to swim and fly with help from Mr. Otter, a bat, and an owl. Greenie eventually joins a wild duck flock, becoming its guard duck after winning a contest. In the end, Leafie is killed by the weasel while protecting Greenie.

Reader's Guide

Leafie, A Hen into the Wild is significant as a landmark in South Korean animation, achieving the largest domestic audience for a home-grown animated film at the time of its release, with over 2.2 million viewers. The film received widespread critical acclaim for its storytelling and emotional depth. Its narrative explores themes of freedom, maternal instinct, and sacrifice, focusing on a hen who defies her predetermined fate to raise an adopted duckling. The film's success highlighted the potential of the South Korean animation industry and brought international attention to its production. The story's resolution, in which Leafie knowingly allows herself to be killed to feed a weasel's offspring, underscores the film's complex treatment of predator-prey relationships and maternal love.

Did You Know?

• The film is based on a book of the same name.
• It drew over 2.2 million viewers, the largest audience for a home-grown animated film in South Korea.
• The main character Leafie is voiced by Moon So-ri in Korean and Stacey DePass in English.
• The duckling Greenie imprints on Leafie after hatching from an egg left by Wanderer.