Director Ivan Sosnin shot his film in the Sverdlovsk Region and Perm Krai. To match the fantasy plot about saving mythical creatures from extinction, the film crew needed specific locations imbued with a fairy-tale spirit. Filming took place in the village of Sabir in the Shalinsky District, on the grounds of the museum in Nizhnyaya Sinyachikha in the Alapayevsky District, and in the city of Yekaterinburg.

Filming Locations:

Metro

In the Movie

The scene where the Journalist (Alexander Yatsenko) rides the metro and begins to see a huge hairy creature sitting opposite him in the car. The creature turns out to be the forest spirit Nyulesmurt. It follows the main character up the escalator and asks him to help save its family.

In Reality

The scene was filmed in the Yekaterinburg metro. The hero lives his ordinary life, rides the metro, walks the streets, and the mythical creature follows him everywhere. The production team needed to show that the spirit constantly pursues the hero, wherever he is. Also, one should not forget the comedic aspect of the spirit's appearance.

Mountain Plateau

In the Movie

The scene where the reporter decides to help the forest spirit, so he and his daughter set off on a big journey. They need to save the disappearing fantastic creatures, and one of the stops on their adventure is the place where the Weathering Pillars are located.

In Reality

The scene was filmed on the Manpupuner Plateau, located in the Troitsko-Pechorsky District of the Komi Republic, Russia. The Weathering Pillars are seven ancient stone columns created by nature. Many legends and tales are associated with them.

Under the Bridge

In the Movie

The scene where the man is pursued by a hairy something resembling a yeti. The hero walks along the embankment, passes under a bridge, and a two-meter creature follows him step by step, not falling behind. It asks for help and will not leave our hero until he provides it.

In Reality

The scene was filmed near the Makarovsky Bridge in Yekaterinburg. This is one of the most picturesque bridges in the city. It spans the Iset River. It is a bright landmark of the central embankment, which looks incredibly beautiful on camera.