Laika

Laika is a film about a little boy Otto whose parents had promised him a dog for his tenth birthday - before they suddenly passed away. When Otto sees a falling star the evening before his birthday he makes a wish upon it. For his surprise, he realises that the bright object seems falling straight into the forest behind his grandma’s house. Having just read a comic book of aliens he fearfully wanders to investigate. On a clearing, he finds a little spacecraft, the Sputnik, and prepares for the worst. However, when the hatch of the weird vehicle opens a little dog exits instead - with the name Laika engraved on his collar. Knowing that his grandma is wary of dogs Otto stays in the forest. (Estonian Film Institute)