Soviet Animation
My partner is a big fan of Soviet pop culture and kid's media, so we talk about and watch a lot of things together! I love learning about adaptations of well-known stories brought to a Soviet audience via a new author. I think it's unfair to write these projects off as just bootlegs, they're all unique pices of art with new stories to tell! This is mostly a list of links for you to watch these for yourself, all of them I recommend.
Nu, Pogodi!
- Translation: Well, Just You Wait!
- Release: 70's to current
Info:
Nu, Pogodi! is an energetic Soviet cartoon, most comparable to Tom & Jerry or Coyote & Roadrunner in the US. Wolf (Волк) chases the Hare (Заяц), trying to eat him and coming up with increasingly crazy schemes. Like its US counterparts, the show is almost entirely without dialogue, and very easy to watch without knowing the language! Волк and Заяц are well known pop culture icons in Russia today, and the series continues with a 3D animated reboot.
Personal thoughts:
They are so silly! I LOVE Волк, he's so sleazy and a little fruity even. His iconic outfit is a pink shirt with a deep v-neck, but as the series goes on he gets all kinds of costume changes. Simple. Funny. I'm a little obsessed with them.
Буратино
- Translation: Buratino
- Release: 1936 (original book), 70's, current
Info:
Buratino is the Soviet adaptation of Pinocchio, and follows the general story at first before going in wild directions. The original book, The Golden Key, was published in 1936, and there have been multiple movies and TV shows since. (Including an edgy live-action reboot coming soon at the time of writing!) Buratino is given the golden key by the turtle lady tortilla, and is chased down by the puppet theater owner Karabass Barabass who thinks the key will lead him to treasure. In this version, the other marionettes at the theater are also alive, and escape to help Buratino.
Personal thoughts:
The 30's black-and-white movie is genuinely one of the most impressive feats of SFX I have ever seen. Buratino himself is portrayed with stop-motion, puppetry, and live action depending on the scene. The Fox and Cat and many other animal creatures are always stop-motion, and are even edited into shots alongside live actors. I'm only a mid-level special effects buff and I have no clue how they do half the things in the movie.
The 70's movie has a lot more charm and character, I love the interpreted animal costumes. It's low budget in a very distinct way. This one is online with English subtitles, give it a watch! This is also where the iconic theme song comes from, which shall be stuck in my head forever.
Волшебник Изумрудного города
- Translation: The Wizard of the Emerald City
- Release: 1939 (original book), 1973
Info:
The Wizard of the Emerald City is the Soviet adaptataion of what else, the Wizard of Oz! Ellie and her dog Totoshka (eeeee cute) follow Dorothy's story fairly closely up until meeting the wizard, where the wilder changes in the story start. The first book was followed by five more books taking place in "Magic Land", the rest bare no resemblance to Baum's sequels. In 1973, a stop-motion TV series aired, which is what I'm most interested in.
Personal thoughts:
I LOVE finding new Oz adaptations! These character designs are incredibly creative, I love that the scarecrow is short and stout. I wasn't able to find this one with English subtitles, so beyond the main story beats I really have no clue what's going on at all. Otherwise I would give a better plot synopsis! But I love stop-motion, so it doesn't matter.
