Not just for the kids: The 5 best-loved Soviet animations
Внезапно зафигачила статью для Russia Beyond the Headlines на английском. Про советскую анимацию, сабж. Ссылка:
http://rbth.ru/arts/2014/02/21/not_just_for_the_kids_the_5_best-loved_soviet_animations_34455.html
По техническим причинам статью несколько укоротили, так что оставлю-ка я здесь полный текст, для истории.
Animation like all other forms of art in USSR was funded by the government and approved by censorship bodies. Until the 60th, when censorship was tight, animators tried to stick to the basics: adaptations of fairy-tales and didactic pieces conveying the values of a true communist. But in the middle of 60th the scene changed: censors, who were still quite rigorous about movies and popular music, let their guard down on children’s cartoons. Government funding and lack of censorship lead to the unique situation when Soviet animators enjoyed unprecedented artistic freedom with no need to think about their films being profitable. Time between 60th and 80th became a Golden era of Soviet animation, with films produced in a variety of styles, exploring different themes and plots. Many of these films now became an all-time classics enjoyed by animation lovers not only in ex-USSR but all over the world. Barely scratching the surface we attempted to pick up and review top 5 animation films of the time.
“Just you wait!” (“Nu pogodi!”), 1969-2012
Is there anyone in English-speaking countries (or at least in US) who doesn’t know “Tom and Jerry”? Guess not. Soviet children had their own “Tom and Jerry”, only instead of the cat and the mouse they had the wolf and the hare. This is “Nu, pogody!”, by far the most popular animated series of Soviet Union. The plot is simple: the Wolf (just Wolf, no given name) in 20 episodes of the cartoon unsuccessfully attempts to catch the Hare. But don’t misunderstand: “Nu, Pogody” is anything but “Tom and Jerry’s” clone. Of course, it’s a slapstick comedy with chasing, comedic falls and everything, but there is also a bit of social satire involved. In the animal’s world of the cartoon the Wolf is a caricature hooligan, smoking, drinking and wearing unapproved “too stylish” clothes (like Hawaiian shirt or flare leg pants). On the other hand the Hare is a model Soviet youngster, modest, engaged in sporting activities, always eager to help other animals. Not much speaking is involved, so you don’t really need a translation to watch “Nu, Pogody!”: just remember that “Nu, Zayats, pogodi!”, a phrase that Wolf says every episode means “Just you wait, Hare”, and you’re all set. But don’t turn out the sound completely: “Nu, Pogodi” is like a radio-station of popular music of the time, mostly Soviet, but also Western. Soviet animators didn’t much concerned themselves with copyright at the time, so they just used any piece of music they seemed fit, with some tracks coming directly from crew’s home recordings collections. The “Nu, Pogody!” franchise is still active, with latest 20th episode released in 2012, although only 16 episodes filmed between 1969 and 1986 are considered classic.
“Gena the crocodile” (“Krokodil Gena”), 1968-1983
In Soviet animation there were two distinct schools: hand-drawn cartoons and puppet cartoons. Usually, an average kid of 70th or 80th would frown upon the puppets (apparently because they were not “cartoonish” enough). This rule has a major exception, “Gena the Crocodile”. This 4 episode puppet cartoon enjoys some kind of a cult status among ex-USSR people. “Gena the Crocodile” is a story of friendship of the title character, Gena the Crocodile (who has a day-time job at the zoo at the position of, well, a crocodile) and Cheburashka, an unknown fluffy animal with enormous ears delivered to USSR from Africa in a box of oranges. The plot is simple and sweet, characters, even the bad ones like old crone Shapoklyak and her pet rat are excessively cute and the soundtrack is perfect. The Gena’s song about his birthday (episode 2, “Cheburashka”) has become a wide-spread birthday song in USSR, quite like the classic “Happy Birthday”. Since 2004 Cheburashka himself has become an official mascot of Russian Olympic team. But series fame spreads even wider: “Gena the Crocodile” is one of the few Soviet animated pieces that enjoy popularity overseas. In particular Japanese, the renowned lovers of anything cute, made two recent remakes of the show: one is featuring Cheburashka in an original story and other one is a direct remake of the Soviet series.
“The Town Musicians of Bremen” (“Bremenskie Muzikanty”), 1969
In 1969 USSR there was no officially approved rock music, no Western fashion magazines and, of course, no hippies. All popular culture trends flourishing in the West were banned from official media. But, hey, - if we can’t do it in real life, we always can make a cartoon of it! So “The Town Musicians of Bremen” came forth. It’s basically an animated rock-opera, and a surprisingly well-made one. The Troubadour with a Beatles haircut, flare-leg pants and a pointed collar disco-shirt, his love interest, the Princess, in a mini-dress coming strait from the latest fashion magazine, singing together: “Our carpet is a meadow, our walls are trees, our roof is bright blue sky! The palaces’ glittering walls will never substitute for our freedom”. Seriously, everyone born in USSR knows this hippie song. Complete the picture with a Cock in 1970 disco glasses, the Ass in a jokey cap and fancy electro-guitars instead of lutes for everyone, and there you have early 70th pop-culture in one children’s cartoon. No surprise everyone loved it, and till today “The Town Musicians of Bremen” remains one of the most loved and most well-known Soviet animated films. The interesting thing is that all men’s voice parts (aside from the Ass) in “Town Musicians of Bremen” are sung by one man - Oleg Anoufriev. There’s also a 1973 sequel “On the trails of the Town Musicians of Bremen” which is also quite good.
“The Mystery of the Third Planet” (“Taina tretiey planeti”), 1981
The science-fiction genre was a hit in USSR from 60th to 80th and Soviet children had their fair share of it. Writer Kir Bulichev was enormously popular in USSR for his children’s science-fiction novels about Alisa, the schoolgirl from technologically-advanced communist future. “The Mystery of the Third Planet” is an adaptation of his novel. “The Mystery” is an animation movie with complicated detective plot involving space-travel, intergalactic criminals, various aliens and, of course, robots. But there is more than intricate storyline to this film: like “Town Musicians of Bremen” are early 70th in a nutshell, “The Mystery” has almost all that early 80th pop-culture can offer. Check out the wonderful electronic progressive “outer space” soundtrack, bright disco colors and overall futuristic feeling of the film. If you are at least a bit familiar with Soviet animation, chances are that you’ve seen “The Mystery of the Third Planet”: during 90th it was widely distributed overseas.
“Hedgehog in the Fog” (“Yozhik v tumane”), 1975
The best animated film in the world. That’s official. In 2003 Laputa Animation Festival, Tokyo, 140 animators from around the world were asked to determine top 20 of all animated films ever made. “Hedgehog in the Fog” made it to the very first place. “Yozhik” is an animated art-house film, filled with suspense end emotion uncharacteristic to children’s cartoons. There is virtually no plot - just the little Hedgehog trying to reach his friend’s the Bear Cub house and ending up in a thick fog. The rest of the film is Hedgehog’s journey - with intense background music, visions and reality mixed together in the fog. The film conveys beauty and uncertainty of the nature in the shades of grey and brown. Like in any great piece of art there could be different interpretations of authors’ message, but one thing is certain: “Hedgehog in the Fog” leaves deep impression on everyone who watches it, an adult or a child. “Yoshik” holds a sound cult status in ex-USSR countries. On 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics opening ceremony “Yoshik v tumane” was referenced as a signature Russian accomplishment alongside Sputnik, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky.
All in all, our top-5 is just the tip of the iceberg. Late USSR animation is a huge cultural phenomenon, reflecting the lifestyles, hopes and dreams of Soviet people. But to enjoy fine pieces of animation art you don’t need to be a man of a Soviet descent - after all these are just children’s cartoons and they are genuinely fun to watch.
http://rbth.ru/arts/2014/02/21/not_just_for_the_kids_the_5_best-loved_soviet_animations_34455.html
По техническим причинам статью несколько укоротили, так что оставлю-ка я здесь полный текст, для истории.
Animation like all other forms of art in USSR was funded by the government and approved by censorship bodies. Until the 60th, when censorship was tight, animators tried to stick to the basics: adaptations of fairy-tales and didactic pieces conveying the values of a true communist. But in the middle of 60th the scene changed: censors, who were still quite rigorous about movies and popular music, let their guard down on children’s cartoons. Government funding and lack of censorship lead to the unique situation when Soviet animators enjoyed unprecedented artistic freedom with no need to think about their films being profitable. Time between 60th and 80th became a Golden era of Soviet animation, with films produced in a variety of styles, exploring different themes and plots. Many of these films now became an all-time classics enjoyed by animation lovers not only in ex-USSR but all over the world. Barely scratching the surface we attempted to pick up and review top 5 animation films of the time.
“Just you wait!” (“Nu pogodi!”), 1969-2012
Click to viewIs there anyone in English-speaking countries (or at least in US) who doesn’t know “Tom and Jerry”? Guess not. Soviet children had their own “Tom and Jerry”, only instead of the cat and the mouse they had the wolf and the hare. This is “Nu, pogody!”, by far the most popular animated series of Soviet Union. The plot is simple: the Wolf (just Wolf, no given name) in 20 episodes of the cartoon unsuccessfully attempts to catch the Hare. But don’t misunderstand: “Nu, Pogody” is anything but “Tom and Jerry’s” clone. Of course, it’s a slapstick comedy with chasing, comedic falls and everything, but there is also a bit of social satire involved. In the animal’s world of the cartoon the Wolf is a caricature hooligan, smoking, drinking and wearing unapproved “too stylish” clothes (like Hawaiian shirt or flare leg pants). On the other hand the Hare is a model Soviet youngster, modest, engaged in sporting activities, always eager to help other animals. Not much speaking is involved, so you don’t really need a translation to watch “Nu, Pogody!”: just remember that “Nu, Zayats, pogodi!”, a phrase that Wolf says every episode means “Just you wait, Hare”, and you’re all set. But don’t turn out the sound completely: “Nu, Pogodi” is like a radio-station of popular music of the time, mostly Soviet, but also Western. Soviet animators didn’t much concerned themselves with copyright at the time, so they just used any piece of music they seemed fit, with some tracks coming directly from crew’s home recordings collections. The “Nu, Pogody!” franchise is still active, with latest 20th episode released in 2012, although only 16 episodes filmed between 1969 and 1986 are considered classic.
“Gena the crocodile” (“Krokodil Gena”), 1968-1983
In Soviet animation there were two distinct schools: hand-drawn cartoons and puppet cartoons. Usually, an average kid of 70th or 80th would frown upon the puppets (apparently because they were not “cartoonish” enough). This rule has a major exception, “Gena the Crocodile”. This 4 episode puppet cartoon enjoys some kind of a cult status among ex-USSR people. “Gena the Crocodile” is a story of friendship of the title character, Gena the Crocodile (who has a day-time job at the zoo at the position of, well, a crocodile) and Cheburashka, an unknown fluffy animal with enormous ears delivered to USSR from Africa in a box of oranges. The plot is simple and sweet, characters, even the bad ones like old crone Shapoklyak and her pet rat are excessively cute and the soundtrack is perfect. The Gena’s song about his birthday (episode 2, “Cheburashka”) has become a wide-spread birthday song in USSR, quite like the classic “Happy Birthday”. Since 2004 Cheburashka himself has become an official mascot of Russian Olympic team. But series fame spreads even wider: “Gena the Crocodile” is one of the few Soviet animated pieces that enjoy popularity overseas. In particular Japanese, the renowned lovers of anything cute, made two recent remakes of the show: one is featuring Cheburashka in an original story and other one is a direct remake of the Soviet series.
“The Town Musicians of Bremen” (“Bremenskie Muzikanty”), 1969
In 1969 USSR there was no officially approved rock music, no Western fashion magazines and, of course, no hippies. All popular culture trends flourishing in the West were banned from official media. But, hey, - if we can’t do it in real life, we always can make a cartoon of it! So “The Town Musicians of Bremen” came forth. It’s basically an animated rock-opera, and a surprisingly well-made one. The Troubadour with a Beatles haircut, flare-leg pants and a pointed collar disco-shirt, his love interest, the Princess, in a mini-dress coming strait from the latest fashion magazine, singing together: “Our carpet is a meadow, our walls are trees, our roof is bright blue sky! The palaces’ glittering walls will never substitute for our freedom”. Seriously, everyone born in USSR knows this hippie song. Complete the picture with a Cock in 1970 disco glasses, the Ass in a jokey cap and fancy electro-guitars instead of lutes for everyone, and there you have early 70th pop-culture in one children’s cartoon. No surprise everyone loved it, and till today “The Town Musicians of Bremen” remains one of the most loved and most well-known Soviet animated films. The interesting thing is that all men’s voice parts (aside from the Ass) in “Town Musicians of Bremen” are sung by one man - Oleg Anoufriev. There’s also a 1973 sequel “On the trails of the Town Musicians of Bremen” which is also quite good.
“The Mystery of the Third Planet” (“Taina tretiey planeti”), 1981
The science-fiction genre was a hit in USSR from 60th to 80th and Soviet children had their fair share of it. Writer Kir Bulichev was enormously popular in USSR for his children’s science-fiction novels about Alisa, the schoolgirl from technologically-advanced communist future. “The Mystery of the Third Planet” is an adaptation of his novel. “The Mystery” is an animation movie with complicated detective plot involving space-travel, intergalactic criminals, various aliens and, of course, robots. But there is more than intricate storyline to this film: like “Town Musicians of Bremen” are early 70th in a nutshell, “The Mystery” has almost all that early 80th pop-culture can offer. Check out the wonderful electronic progressive “outer space” soundtrack, bright disco colors and overall futuristic feeling of the film. If you are at least a bit familiar with Soviet animation, chances are that you’ve seen “The Mystery of the Third Planet”: during 90th it was widely distributed overseas.
“Hedgehog in the Fog” (“Yozhik v tumane”), 1975
The best animated film in the world. That’s official. In 2003 Laputa Animation Festival, Tokyo, 140 animators from around the world were asked to determine top 20 of all animated films ever made. “Hedgehog in the Fog” made it to the very first place. “Yozhik” is an animated art-house film, filled with suspense end emotion uncharacteristic to children’s cartoons. There is virtually no plot - just the little Hedgehog trying to reach his friend’s the Bear Cub house and ending up in a thick fog. The rest of the film is Hedgehog’s journey - with intense background music, visions and reality mixed together in the fog. The film conveys beauty and uncertainty of the nature in the shades of grey and brown. Like in any great piece of art there could be different interpretations of authors’ message, but one thing is certain: “Hedgehog in the Fog” leaves deep impression on everyone who watches it, an adult or a child. “Yoshik” holds a sound cult status in ex-USSR countries. On 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics opening ceremony “Yoshik v tumane” was referenced as a signature Russian accomplishment alongside Sputnik, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky.
All in all, our top-5 is just the tip of the iceberg. Late USSR animation is a huge cultural phenomenon, reflecting the lifestyles, hopes and dreams of Soviet people. But to enjoy fine pieces of animation art you don’t need to be a man of a Soviet descent - after all these are just children’s cartoons and they are genuinely fun to watch.