Overview of upcoming Russian animated features: part 11
Previously:
Our Masha in the Strawberry Country (Dec. 18, 2008)
The New Adventures of Alyonushka and Yeryoma (Dec. 25, 2008)
The Tale of Fedot the Strelets (Jan. 1, 2009) (Dec. 18, 2008)
Ivan Tsarevich and Grey Wolf (Feb. 1, 2009)
Alice's Birthday (Feb. 19, 2009)
Star Dogs: Belka and Strelka (Dec. 31, 2009)
Alien Pile (likely 2009)
A Room and a Half, or A Sentimental Journey to the Homeland (likely 2009)
Little Muk and the Pirates of the Caspian Sea (maybe 2009)
Kin-dza-dza-dza! (2010)
The Ugly Duckling
Гадкий утенок
Release date: ~2011 (source: Aug. 15 interview)
Director: Garri Bardin
Studio: Stayer Studio
Budget: $2.5 million (source: Aug. 15 interview)
75 minutes (or 85 minutes according to above interview)
Garri Bardin is one of the best Russian directors of animation, although many of his stop motion puppet-animated films seem to be more successful outside of Russia than within it. Like Aleksandr Tatarskiy, he led an independent animation studio through the 1990s and created many films that won top awards at international film festivals. "The Ugly Duckling" is his first feature film, and though no screenshots or video have been released, work on it is ongoing despite a difficult funding situation.
Bardin crafting a cow from the film (image from official website)
This is the message that has been up on Bardin's rarely-updated official website since 2006:
Dear businessmen!
Owners of factories, newspapers, and steamboats!
Doubtless some of you are also fathers and mothers and grandparents!
I, Garri Bardin, director of animated films, appeal to you.
Often are we forced to exclaim: "Goodness, what nonsense is shown to our children!"
The very minute that you began reading my letter, an opportunity was opened to you to change this situation; perhaps not cordially, but to the best of our abilities.
This year I have begun creating the animated feature film "The Ugly Duckling". What influenced me to choose this tale by Hans Christian Andersen? Worry.
In our multinational country there is a growing intolerance to people who are not like others, who speak other languages and have different beliefs. This emerging xenophobia is beneficial to some people for their narrow political goals. Children should not be exposed to this. They can still be taught to live with everyone across the world in peace and friendship!
I have written a script based on this tale by H. C. Andersen. The film will run for 75 minutes; 56 of these will be accompanied by the wonderful music of Tchaikovsky, from the ballets "Swan Lake" and "The Nutcracker", arranged for the film by S. Anashkin. The sound was recorded by the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia under the baton of Vladimir Spivakov. The lyrics were written by the wonderfull poet Yuliy Kim, and were sung by V. Kachan, Y. Rutberg, S. Stepchenko and the choir of Mikhail Turetskiy. The talented artist Kirill Chelushkin is attached to the film.
The film will be sad, and happy, and touching. Different techniques will be used in the filming: puppets, clay, marionettes. The film is expected to be finished in 2008.
I plan to begin shooting in autumn, 2006. Everything is ready for this: a wonderfull soundtrack, high-quality storyboards and characters, and a professional team from the studio "Stayer", which I have led for fifteen years.
The Russian Ministry of Culture is ready to finance one third of the film's budget. The other two thirds I will search for and, I hope, find.
The "Garri Bardin Fund" has been created especially for this project, to store money which is necessary for the creation of the film. If you are ready to participate in this project, I invite you to do so.
Believe me, this money will not be used by me for personal enrichment.
A big thank you in advance,
Garri Bardin
phone/fax: +7 (495) 167.01.54
E-mail: garry@bardin.ru
From an article about the effect of the economic crisis on Russian animation published on October 30, 2008:
Director-animator Garri Bardin has been working on the animated feature "The Ugly Duckling" for two years. A third of the film is financed by the Ministry of Culture, and the final part of the funding is to come in 2009.
"The crisis cannot but worry me," admits Garri Bardin. "There are people walking behind me whom I must feed. Nobody knows right now how the economy will behave itself, and we're trying to stay alive in this new system."
Our Masha in the Strawberry Country (Dec. 18, 2008)
The New Adventures of Alyonushka and Yeryoma (Dec. 25, 2008)
The Tale of Fedot the Strelets (Jan. 1, 2009) (Dec. 18, 2008)
Ivan Tsarevich and Grey Wolf (Feb. 1, 2009)
Alice's Birthday (Feb. 19, 2009)
Star Dogs: Belka and Strelka (Dec. 31, 2009)
Alien Pile (likely 2009)
A Room and a Half, or A Sentimental Journey to the Homeland (likely 2009)
Little Muk and the Pirates of the Caspian Sea (maybe 2009)
Kin-dza-dza-dza! (2010)
The Ugly Duckling
Гадкий утенок
Release date: ~2011 (source: Aug. 15 interview)
Director: Garri Bardin
Studio: Stayer Studio
Budget: $2.5 million (source: Aug. 15 interview)
75 minutes (or 85 minutes according to above interview)
Garri Bardin is one of the best Russian directors of animation, although many of his stop motion puppet-animated films seem to be more successful outside of Russia than within it. Like Aleksandr Tatarskiy, he led an independent animation studio through the 1990s and created many films that won top awards at international film festivals. "The Ugly Duckling" is his first feature film, and though no screenshots or video have been released, work on it is ongoing despite a difficult funding situation.
Bardin crafting a cow from the film (image from official website)
This is the message that has been up on Bardin's rarely-updated official website since 2006:
Dear businessmen!
Owners of factories, newspapers, and steamboats!
Doubtless some of you are also fathers and mothers and grandparents!
I, Garri Bardin, director of animated films, appeal to you.
Often are we forced to exclaim: "Goodness, what nonsense is shown to our children!"
The very minute that you began reading my letter, an opportunity was opened to you to change this situation; perhaps not cordially, but to the best of our abilities.
This year I have begun creating the animated feature film "The Ugly Duckling". What influenced me to choose this tale by Hans Christian Andersen? Worry.
In our multinational country there is a growing intolerance to people who are not like others, who speak other languages and have different beliefs. This emerging xenophobia is beneficial to some people for their narrow political goals. Children should not be exposed to this. They can still be taught to live with everyone across the world in peace and friendship!
I have written a script based on this tale by H. C. Andersen. The film will run for 75 minutes; 56 of these will be accompanied by the wonderful music of Tchaikovsky, from the ballets "Swan Lake" and "The Nutcracker", arranged for the film by S. Anashkin. The sound was recorded by the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia under the baton of Vladimir Spivakov. The lyrics were written by the wonderfull poet Yuliy Kim, and were sung by V. Kachan, Y. Rutberg, S. Stepchenko and the choir of Mikhail Turetskiy. The talented artist Kirill Chelushkin is attached to the film.
The film will be sad, and happy, and touching. Different techniques will be used in the filming: puppets, clay, marionettes. The film is expected to be finished in 2008.
I plan to begin shooting in autumn, 2006. Everything is ready for this: a wonderfull soundtrack, high-quality storyboards and characters, and a professional team from the studio "Stayer", which I have led for fifteen years.
The Russian Ministry of Culture is ready to finance one third of the film's budget. The other two thirds I will search for and, I hope, find.
The "Garri Bardin Fund" has been created especially for this project, to store money which is necessary for the creation of the film. If you are ready to participate in this project, I invite you to do so.
Believe me, this money will not be used by me for personal enrichment.
A big thank you in advance,
Garri Bardin
phone/fax: +7 (495) 167.01.54
E-mail: garry@bardin.ru
From an article about the effect of the economic crisis on Russian animation published on October 30, 2008:
Director-animator Garri Bardin has been working on the animated feature "The Ugly Duckling" for two years. A third of the film is financed by the Ministry of Culture, and the final part of the funding is to come in 2009.
"The crisis cannot but worry me," admits Garri Bardin. "There are people walking behind me whom I must feed. Nobody knows right now how the economy will behave itself, and we're trying to stay alive in this new system."