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История русской анимации является визуальной формой искусства производится российскими анимационными производителями. Поскольку большая часть российской анимации для кино и телевидения была создана в советские времена, ее также можно в некоторой степени назвать историей советской анимации . Это остается почти неизведанной областью теории и истории кино за пределами России.

Начало [ править ]

Сцена из спектакля "Месть кинооператора" Ладислава Старевича (1911)

Первым русским аниматором был Александр Ширяев , ведущий артист балета и хореограф Мариинского театра , снявший ряд новаторских покадровых и традиционных анимационных фильмов в период между 1906 и 1909 годами. Он построил импровизированную студию в своей квартире, где тщательно воссоздал различные балеты. сначала сделав тысячи набросков, а затем инсценировав их с помощью кукол, сделанных вручную; он снимал их на 17,5-миллиметровую камеру «Биокам», кадр за кадром. Ширяев не очень интересовался анимацией как видом искусства, а скорее видел в ней инструмент для изучения пластики человека. [1] [2] [3] О них почти забыли во времена Советского Союза.период, упоминаемый только в воспоминаниях его учеников. [3] В 1995 году их заново открыл историк балета Виктор Бочаров, который завладел архивами Ширяева и в 2003 году выпустил документальный фильм « Запоздалая премьера» с фрагментами различных фильмов. Все они были позже отреставрированы и оцифрованы с помощью Фестиваля немого кино в Порденоне и Aardman Animations . [2] [4]

Вторым, кто самостоятельно открыл для себя анимацию, стал Владислав Старевич . Будучи опытным биологом, он начал создавать анимационные ролики с забальзамированными насекомыми в образовательных целях, но вскоре осознал возможности этой среды и впоследствии стал одним из бесспорных мастеров покадровой анимации . Его первые несколько фильмов, снятых в 1910 году, были мрачными комедиями о семейной жизни тараканов и были настолько революционными, что принесли ему награду от Николая II в России . Продюсировал ряд других популярных мультфильмов с насекомыми в кинотеатре Александра Ханжонкова.'', где он также работал оператором и режиссером игровых фильмов, иногда сочетая живое действие с покадровой анимацией, как в «Ночь перед Рождеством» и «Ужасная месть» (оба из 1913 года). Старевич уехал из России после Октябрьской революции , и на долгие годы анимационная индустрия была парализована.

После революции [ править ]

Межпланетная революция (1924)

В первые годы после болчевистской революции советская анимация включала в себя несколько качественных работ. Однако он оставался неразвитым по сравнению с другими областями, такими как кино , театр , литература и живопись . «Сегодня» ( Сегодня , 1923) - пионерская работа режиссера Дзига Вертова и аниматора Ивана Беляева. [5]

Сатирическая анимация [ править ]

В 1924 году « Межрабпом-Русь» выпустил признанную критиками « Межпланетную революцию»  [ ru ] , высмеивающую Аэлиту . В нем использовалась вырезанная анимация (в то время называемая плоскими марионетками) наряду с художественным стилем конструктивизма, и он был разработан независимо тремя художниками - Николаем Ходатаевым , Зеноном Комиссаренко и Юрием Меркуловым, которые возглавляли первую советскую анимационную студию при Всесоюзном техникуме кинематографии. . В 1925 году последовало при поддержке правительства Китая в Огне из той же командой , вместе с Иваном Ивановым-Вано ,Владимир Сутеев и сестры Брумберг . С 1000 метров пленки и 14 кадров в секунду он длился более 50 минут, что сделало его первым советским анимационным фильмом и одним из первых в мире. [6] [7]

Одновременно аниматор Александр Бушкин и режиссер Дзига Вертов подготовили ряд агитпроповских короткометражек, фильмов и скетчей с вырезанными анимациями для « Совкино», таких как « Советские игрушки»  [ ru ] , « Юморески» и эпизоды « Кино-Правды» . Они были созданы как редакционные карикатуры , высмеивающие буржуазию, церковь и западные страны, нарисованные и нарисованные отрывочно. [8] [9]

Последними российскими анимационными сатирическими фильмами были « Блэк и жди» (Black and White, 1932), иллюстрация Леонида Амальрика и Ивана Иванова-Вано по стихотворению Владимира Маяковского, написанного после визита на Кубу; «Органчик» (Музыкальная шкатулка, 1933) режиссера Николая Ходатаева по роману Михаила Салтыкова-Щедрина . После этого Ходатаев снялся только в одном фильме - « Карьера Фялкина»   («Карьера Фялкина», 1935). [5]

Анимация для детей [ править ]

В конце 1920-х годов промышленность начала уходить от агитации. В 1927 году Меркулов, Иванов-Вано и Даниил Черкес  [ ru ] сняли первый советский детский мультфильм - Сенька-африканец  [ ru ] по сказке в стихах Корнея Чуковского . Сделанный на « Межрабпом-Русь» , он сочетал в себе традиционную анимацию и некоторые живые сцены. [7] [10] [11] В том же году Иванов-Вано и Черкес работали на «Катке»  [ ru ]- еще один короткометражный фильм, нарисованный от руки, в отличительном художественном стиле (белые линии на черном фоне). [12] Его написали и поставили Юрий Желябужский и Николай Бартрам  [ ru ] , основатель Московского музея игрушек , который также продюсировал «Приключения Болвашки», в которых сочетаются живое действие и покадровая анимация в рассказе о деревянном мальчике, похожем на Пиноккио . [13] [14] [15] Идея получила продолжение в духовном наследнике - первом советском мультсериале «Приключения Братишкина».работала с 1928 по 1931 год. Создана Юрием Меркуловым и Александром Птушко на « Мосфильме» . [16] [17] [18]

Воспроизвести медиа
Сцена из спектакля "Джябжа" (1938)

В 1928 году Николай Ходатаев, его сестра Ольга Ходатаева и сестры Брумберг создали нарисованный от руки анимационный короткометражный фильм «Самоедский мальчик»  [ ru ], стилизованный под традиционное ненецкое искусство, который следует драматическому повествованию и использует новаторскую технику печати на тонком целлулоиде. [6] [13] 24-минутный анимационный фильм «Приключения маленького китайца» был снят в том же году Марией Бендерской  [ ru ] и может считаться возвращением к традициям Ладислава Старевича . [7] [19]

« Пост» Михаила Цехановского (1929, анимация с вырезом) явилась как возвращением к традициям конструктивизма, так и большим шагом вперед: она была успешно экспортирована и широко показана по всему миру, тогда как в СССР она изменила восприятие анимации как искусства. форма. Он также стал первым советским цветным анимационным фильмом и одним из первых, в котором Даниил Хармс озвучил музыку и озвучил его . [13] [7] [20] Михаил и его жена Вера Цехановская руководили анимационной студией на « Ленфильме», где на протяжении 1930-х годов был создан ряд отличительных рисованных и покадровых фильмов, в том числе получивший высокую оценку « Джябжа»  [ru ] (1938)Мстислава Пащенко [ ru ]. [6] [21] [22] Команда активно применяла цвет, используя оригинальныйпроцесс переноса красителя,изобретенный специалистами Ленфильма, похожий наTechnicolor. [23]

Воспроизвести медиа
Базарная сцена из "Сказания о попе и работнике его Балде"

В 1933 году супруги вместе с Дмитрием Шостаковичем и Александром Введенским работали над первым традиционно анимационным советским фильмом - «Сказкой о священнике и его работнике Балде» , сатирической оперой по мотивам сказки в стихах Александра Пушкина, стилизованной под плакаты РОСТА. . Несмотря на множество проблем, в том числе печально известные издевательства над Шостаковичем в прессе, фильм был почти закончен и хранился на Ленфильме до 1941 года, когда почти весь фильм был уничтожен в результате пожара, вызванного бомбардировками Ленинграда . [24] Цехановскому также приписывают изобретение графического звука вместе сАрсений Авраамов и Евгений Шолпо  [ ru ] . Им бросила вызов группа под руководством Александра Иванова  [ ru ], который снял несколько короткометражных фильмов, основанных на собственной идее «рисования бумажного звука». [25] [26]

В 1935 году Александр Птушко поставил «Новый Гулливер» , один из первых в мире полнометражных анимационных фильмов, в котором детализированная покадровая съемка сочетается с живым актером (15-летним мальчиком). В фильме задействовано от 1500 до 3000 различных кукол со съемными головами и различной мимикой, а также фотоаппарат и технические приемы. [18] [27]

Воспроизвести медиа
Сказка о рыбаке и рыбке (1937) Александра Птушко

Международный успех фильма позволил Птушко открыть на « Мосфильме » собственный «отдел 3D-анимации», который одновременно работал школой для начинающих аниматоров. За четыре года они создали дюжину короткометражных фильмов; большинство из них, такие как «Лисица и волк  [ ru ]» (1936), были основаны на русском фольклоре, традиционном искусстве (с привлечением художников из Палеха ) и могли быть просмотрены в полном цвете благодаря недавно изобретенной трехцветной кинопроцесс Павла Мершина  [ ru ] . [23] В 1939 году Птушко поставил еще одну картину - «Золотой ключик» по популярной советской сказке.; it also combined stop motion with live action, but to a lesser extent.[18]

Simultaneously Alexandre Alexeieff who fled for France during the Russian Civil War developed a pinscreen animation technology that allowed for a wide spectre of special effects achieved through the use of hundreds of thousands of pins that formed different patterns. Despite the status of white émigré in the USSR his films were well known among Russian professionals and inspired various artists, most famously Yuri Norstein. In the mid-1990s Alexeieff's daughter visited Moscow and presented her father's works to the State Central Museum of Cinema [ru]. Today he is commemorated as a patriarch of Russian animation.[28][29]

Building a Soviet Animation Industry (1933-1936)[edit]

In the early years of Russian animation, tiny animation studios competed between them and animators had a low budget and few facilities.[5] In September 1933, the Principal Management of the Photo-Cinematographic Industry (GUKF) ordered to provide animators with facilities and equipment, meanwhile, specialized script-writers were hired for Animated feature films.[5] Viktor Smirnov [ru] who headed the Amkino Corporation, a New York-based company responsible for distribution of Soviet movies in North America, was given the task to study the animation processes at Disney and Fleischer Studios.[13][30]

Next year Smirnov returned to Moscow and founded an Experimental Animation Workshop under the Main Directorate of the Photo-Cinematographic Industry where he, Alexei Radakov, Vladimir Suteev and Pyotr Nosov [ru] started "developing the Disney style".[13][30] In 1935 Walt Disney himself sent a film reel with Three Little Pigs and Mickey Mouse shorts to the Moscow Film Festival that made a lasting impression on Soviet animators and officials.[citation needed]

Soyuzmultfilm, 1936–1960[edit]

Main article: Soyuzmultfilm
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Why Is Rhino's Skin Wrinkly? [ru] by Vladimir Suteev (1938)

On June 10, 1936, the Soyuzdetmultfilm Studio was created in Moscow from the small and relatively independent trickfilm units of Mosfilm, Sovkino, Mezhrabpomfilm and Smirnov's studio. In a year it was renamed to Soyuzmultfilm. Three-months retraining courses were organized by the studio administration where animators studied everything, from drawing and directing movies to the basics of music and acting.[11] For four years some of the leading animators focused on the creation of Disney-style shorts, exclusively using the cel technique.[13] From 1937 on they also produced films in full color using the three-color film process by Pavel Mershin.[23]

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Scene from Grandfather Ivan (1939)

In 1938 the team also mastered rotoscoping, or Eclair as it has been known in Russia since the 1920s (after the Eclair video projector). Not everyone was happy with the chosen direction though, and by 1939 many developed their own styles. Ivan Ivanov-Vano directed Moydodyr [ru] based on the fairy tale in verse which he personally praised as an important step from Disney.[11] Suteev and Lamis Bredis presented a distinctive Uncle Styopa adaptation, while Leonid Amalrik and Vladimir Polkovnikov [ru] converted Doctor Aybolit stories into a distinctive mini-series that ran from 1939 to 1946 and defined the "Soviet style" of animation.[31] At the same time Aleksandr Ivanov and Dmitry Babichenko [ru] made a radical shift towards agitprop and socialist realism with films such as Grandfather Ivan and War Chronicles.[32]

Soon after Lev Kuleshov, then a professor at VGIK, suggested Ivanov-Vano to open and head a workshop under the Art Faculty which became the first official Russian workshop where students studied the art of animation.[33] Among Ivanov's first students were Lev Milchin, Yevgeniy Migunov and Anatoly Sazonov [ru].

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Kino-Circus by Leonid Amalrik and Olga Khodataeva (1942)

With the start of the Great Patriotic War the studio was evacuated to Samarkand along with some key animators who continued teaching students and producing films, including anti-fascist propaganda. In 1943 they returned to Moscow and released several kids movies such as The Tale of Tsar Saltan (1943) by the Brumberg sisters and The Winter's Tale [ru] (1945) by Ivanov-Vano — the last film to use the Soviet three-color filming process before the switch to Agfacolor.[23][11] By that time Ptushko's studio at Mosfilm had been shut down and Tsekhanovsky's studio at Lenfilm — destroyed by a bomb, which basically turned Soyuzmultfilm into Russia's animation monopolist.

Yet even after the war its resources were very limited. 19 animators from the relatively small Soyuzmultfilm team were killed in action.[7] A whole generation of Lenigrad animators either disappeared at fronts or died during the Siege of Leningrad.[21] Others returned as war-disabled, like Boris Dyozhkin and Aleksandr Vinokurov (both lost their left eyes), Boris Butakov [ru] who got a bullet stuck in his head and Vladimir Degtyaryov [ru] who lost his right arm and learned to work as left-handed.[34] One of the leading directors, Vladimir Suteev, left the industry on his return for personal reasons.[35]

The dance of the firebirds from The Humpbacked Horse (1947)

The rest worked intensively to prepare new animators; between 1945 and 1948 four groups of students graduated from VGIK. They also continued releasing short and feature films that brought them international recognition, such as The Lost Letter (1945) and The Humpbacked Horse (1947) that was used by Walt Disney as a teaching tool for his artists.[11][36] In 1948 The Champion [ru] short comedy film was accused of "formalism" and "anthropomorphism" following the Cold War anti-Disney campaign. As the art director Yevgeniy Migunov remembered, he floutingly drew backgrounds for his next movie as realistic as possible, and suddenly it became "a golden standard" for the next ten years.[30][37] Ironically, he would become one of the leading innovators later on.

From 1950 to 1960 the vast majority of animated films were fairy tale adaptations influenced by the works of Viktor Vasnetsov, Ivan Bilibin, Mikhail Vrubel, Palekh and Fedoskino miniatures and other national styles. The Disney's conveyor method of production with a clear work split was implemented along with a full analog of a multiplane camera. Eclair (rotoscoping) also rose to popularity.[22] According to the 1951 report by Ivan Ivanov-Vano, it was a temporary measure that served as a teaching tool for beginning animators.[38] Many leading actors were involved, such as Mikhail Astangov who appeared as the beast in The Scarlet Flower (1952).[39]

Some directors made extensive use of this method, while others mixed it with traditional animation as in The Snow Queen (1957) by Lev Atamanov, arguably the most famous work of that time.[39] Many focused on animal art with little to no use of rotoscoping. All this allowed for a yearly release of prominent feature films with high production values such as The Night Before Christmas (1951), The Snow Maiden (1952), The Enchanted Boy and The Frog Princess (1954), The Twelve Months (1956) and The Adventures of Buratino (1959).

The Khrushchev Thaw[edit]

First changes happened in 1953 when a puppet division was reopened at Soyuzmultfilm. In 1954 Yevgeniy Migunov along with an engineer Semyon Etlis produced the first Soviet stop motion film since Aleksandr Ptushko: Karandash and Klyaksa — Merry Hunters [ru] about the adventures of the Russian clown Karandash and his dog. According to Migunov, they had to reinvent the whole production process. They organized a technical base, constructed and patented a device for shooting in statics, with a horizontally moving camera and attachable dolls. Also for the first time they used ball-jointed dolls and latex to make puppet faces.[37][40]

They were followed by Vladimir Degtyaryov who produced many films such as Beloved Beauty (1958) and Who Said Meow? [ru] (1962), Roman Kachanov and Anatoly Karanovich [ru] who directed the award-winning The Cloud in Love [ru] (1959) that combined stop motion, traditional and cutout animation, Vadim Kurchevsky [ru] and Nikolay Serebryakov whose style was marked by extensive aesthetic search for "combination of realism and the baroque".[38] Sergey Obraztsov and his team also produced a number of movies using hand puppets.[41]

The Story of a Crime (1962)

In 1957 Migunov directed Familiar Pictures [ru] based on the sketches by a stand-up comedian Arkady Raikin who also appeared in the short. What made it special was a radical style of magazine caricatures, since Raikin's satire didn't fit the "realistic" art direction.[37][42] It wasn't long until other animators started abandoning it. In 1958 Alexandra Snezhko-Blotskaya released an adaptation of Arkady Gaidar's A Tale of Malchish-Kibalchish inspired by ROSTA posters, while Boris Stepantsev and Evgeny Raykovsky directed a postmodern Petya and the Little Red Riding Hood [ru] that leant towards Tex Avery.[38][43]

In 1960—1962 a whole line of "formalistic" features hit the screens, such as It Was I Who Drew the Little Man by the Brumberg sisters, The Key by Lev Atamanov, Cipollino by Boris Dyozhkin and The Wild Swans by Mikhail and Vera Tsekhanovsky — the first Soviet widescreen feature that introduced Gothic art style.[44] Ivanov-Vano also broke new grounds with The Flying Proletary (1962), the first widescreen stop motion short based on the poems and art of Vladimir Mayakovsky that made use of bas-relief paper dolls.[41][45] Same year Fyodor Khitruk made a directoral debut with a primitivistic cutout short The Story of a Crime that told a contemporary story and gained international praise.

Soyuzmultfilm, 1964–1991[edit]

In the following years many animators turned away from the conveyor method of production and developed their own distinctive styles and approaches. The number of titles rose through the mid-1960 into the 1970s and 1980s, up to fifty per year.[38] Mini-series and anthologies became common, while the amount of feature films decreased dramatically.

Junior and Karlson stamp based on the animated dilogy

Director Boris Stepantsev was known for experimenting a lot. Among his films was another postmodern comedy Vovka in the Far Far Away Kingdom (1965), the paint-on-glass animation Song of a Falcon (1967), the highly popular Karlsson-on-the-Roof dilogy (1968–1970) that made use of xerography and The Nutcracker adaptation (1973) that presented a familiar story without a single spoken word.[38][43]

Some patriarchs also joined the new wave. Ivanov-Vano was appointed an artistic director of the puppet division where he made a number of stop motion/cutout films inspired by Russian folk art, like Lefty (1964) that addressed lubok, Go There, Don't Know Where (1966) that used elements of rayok and skomorokh theatre, The Seasons (1969) based around Tchaikovsky's two character pieces, presented as a combination of Dymkovo toys and lace, and the award-winning The Battle of Kerzhenets (1971) where frescos and icons came to life.[11]

Another well-respected old-timer Boris Dyozhkin launched a popular series of short comedy films about two teams that competed in various sport disciplines such as football, hockey, skiing, boxing and so on. It ran from 1963 to 1981 and was notable for fast-paced slapstick synchronized with music.[32]

Winnie-the-Pooh (1969)

Among the most political animators were Fyodor Khitruk whose satire The Man in the Frame (1966) was cut by censors[46] and Andrei Khrzhanovsky whose surrealist film The Glass Harmonica [ru] (1968) was shelved for many years. On the other hand, Khitruk's Boniface's Holidays [ru] (1965), Film, Film, Film (1968) and the Winnie-the-Pooh trilogy in particular became an instant success among both kids and adults.[47]

Roman Kachanov made numerous films for children. He started with puppet animation such as A Little Frog Is looking for His Father, The Mitten and, most famously, the Cheburashka series that turned Cheburashka into one of the iconic characters of Soyuzmultfilm. In his late years he switched to traditional animation with the feature science fiction film The Mystery of the Third Planet (1981).[38]

Adventures of Mowgli on a Russian stamp

Adventures of Mowgli mini-series by Roman Davydov was released from 1967 to 1971. Just like Winnie-the-Pooh, it was not conceived as a reaction to the Disney's The Jungle Book (even the first episode was developed simultaneously) and followed the original plot closely, appearing more adult and spiritually closer to the book. In 1973 the shorts were combined into a 96-minute feature.[32]

The rising popularity of the industry started drawing people from other areas. Vasily Livanov, originally an actor, finished animation courses and directed several experimental pictures. Yet his biggest success was The Bremen Town Musicians (1969), an animated musical film heavily influenced by rock and roll and hippie cultures. The first part was directed by Inessa Kovalevskaya who also abandoned her position at Goskino to work on animated musicals. After she left the project, Livanov directed the sequel by himself. The three main characters were voiced by the leading Soviet pop singer Muslim Magomayev.[32][48]

Well, Just You Wait! by Vyacheslav Kotyonochkin (1969-1993)

1969 saw the birth of Russia's most popular animation series Well, Just You Wait! directed by Vyacheslav Kotyonochkin.[49] These seemingly simple miniatures about a wolf chasing a hare through Soviet-style cartoon worlds owe a great deal of their popularity to the quality animation, varied soundtrack and cunning subtexts built into their parts. The original series ran from 1969 to 1993. During the mid-2000s an unsuccessful attempt to reboot the series was made.[50]

Also in 1969 a long-running animated anthology series Happy Merry-Go-Round was founded by Anatoly Petrov and Galina Barinova. Each episode combined several short experimental films by the beginning directors like Leonid Nosyrev [ru], Valery Ugarov [ru], Eduard Nazarov, Gennady Sokolsky, Garri Bardin and Aleksandr Davydov [ru].[38]

Most of them gained acclaim later on, working in their own unique niches. Anatoly Petrov showed extreme realism (close to photorealism) without rotoscopy, photography or any "cheating". His style was known as "photographics", or "graphical painting"; for many years he developed the so-called effect of moving glaze in a 3D environment using traditional animation materials. The final result was close to advanced CGI long before it was invented. Among his best works was Polygon (1977) and several films based on Greek mythology.[38][51]

Gennady Sokolsky focused on environmental films with attractive characters and ambient soundtracks: Silver Hoof [ru] (1977), Little Mouse Pik [ru] (1978) and The Adventures of Lolo the Penguin (1986), a joined Soviet-Japanese feature co-directed with Kenji Yoshida. Leonid Nosyrev explored the Russian North folklore with a number of ethnographical films based on the stories by Boris Shergin, Stepan Pisakhov and Yuri Koval. In 1987 seven of them were combined into a Laughter and Grief by the White Sea feature film.[38]

Hedgehog in the Fog (1975)

One of the most famous Russian animators is Yuri Norstein. His films Hedgehog in the Fog (1975) and Tale of Tales (1979) won numerous awards at international festivals. Tale of Tales was named the best animation film of all time at the 1984 Olympic Arts Festival in Los Angeles and at the 2002 Animafest Zagreb. Since the beginning of perestroika Norstein has been working on The Overcoat.[38]

Vladimir Popov had been known since the 1960s for his shorts such as Umka, but it was the Three from Prostokvashino trilogy (1978–1984) that brought him fame. The characters and their catchphrases entered Russian folklore, and it was chosen the third best animation of all time in the 2014 poll conducted by the Public Opinion Foundation.[49] In 2018 the series was rebooted.[52]

Vladimir Tarasov was a rare Soviet director who dedicated himself to the science fiction genre. Among his prominent works were Contact (1978) influenced by Yellow Submarine, Shooting Range (1979), Contract (1985) and The Pass (1988).

Stanislav Sokolov brought stop motion to a new height. His approach characterized by complex animation structures and multiple special effects could be observed in the award-winning Black and White Film (1984) or The Big Underground Ball (1987). During late years few animated films were produced due to the lack of financing from government. Garri Bardin who also specialized on stop motion films made of matches, ropes and wire, was one of those few directors who managed to cope with the political changes. His Grey Wolf & Little Red Riding Hood (1991) was full of allusions to the upcoming end of the USSR.[38]

Other Soviet studios[edit]

In 1968 a group of mathematicians led by Nikolay Konstantinov released a 1.5-minute non-narrative animation Kitty [ru], one of the earliest examples of computer and procedural animation in history programmed on BESM-4.[53][54] Cat's movements and mimics were modelled using the second-order differential equation system.[55] It was also one of the first attempts to render realistic animal motion digitally.[53] Programmed at the Moscow State Pedagogical University, Kitty was made into a movie and screened at the Moscow State University.[56] It was later shown to students at mathematics competitions and used for educational purposes at schools.[53][55]

From 1970 on new studios appeared across the RSFSR, most famously Multtelefilm division of Studio Ekran (Moscow) that focused on lower-budget television animation. It was known for several popular TV series such as Leopold the Cat (1975–1987), Kuzya the Little Domovoi [ru] (1984–1987), Investigation Held by Kolobki (1986–1987) and Adventures of Funtik the Piglet [ru] (1986–1988), as well as various experiments. Vladimir Samsonov [ru] re-discovered paint-on-glass animation with films like Wonders (1980), The Huge Sky [ru] (1982) and The Firebird [ru] (1984), while Alexander Tatarsky pioneered clay animation with Plasticine Crow (1981), Last Year's Snow Was Falling (1983) and the Good Night, Little Ones! opening. He and his students also practiced total animation (flying camera with characters and backgrounds moving simultaneously).

Multtelefilm served as a base for Pilot, the first private Soviet animation studio founded by Alexander Tatarsky and Igor Kovalyov in 1988. They aimed at both auteur and commercial animation, producing absurd adult-themed films. In several years half of the team left Russia to work for Klasky Csupo where they created popular animated series such as Rugrats and Aaahh!!! Real Monsters.[38][57]

The Sverdlovsk Film Studio also gained fame for its paint-on-glass animation with complete new level of quality by Aleksei Karaev [ru] and Aleksandr Petrov (Welcome!, The Cow), as well as sand animation by Vladimir and Elena Petkevich (A Small Tale of a Small Bug). The rest included the animation department at Lennauchfilm that produced educational and popular science films, the Permtelefilm studio (Perm) responsible for TV animation mostly based on the Ural folklore, Kuybyshevtelefilm (Kuybyshev) known for its stop motion Forest Tales series, Saratovtelefilm (Saratov) and some others.[38]

In 1989 another independent studios Christmas Films was founded by Soyuzmultfilm veterans that focused on international coproduction. It became famous during later years with the Russian-British Shakespeare: The Animated Tales series (1992–1994) that earned several Primetime Emmy Awards.[58]

Russian animation today[edit]

The Old Man and the Sea (1999)

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union the situation for Russian animators changed dramatically. Due to the new management and the lack of state funding many of them left Soyuzmultfilm which was turned into a leased enterprise. In 1993, Yuri Norstein, Fyodor Khitruk, Andrei Khrzhanovsky and Eduard Nazarov founded the SHAR Studio meant for training animators and producing films.[59] Garri Bardin also founded the Stayer animation studio where he continued directing claymation and stop motion films.[60] Others joined Pilot, Christmas Films, Animation Magic and similar companies that lived on advertisement and commissioned works for big studios from Western countries.

In 1992 Films by Jove, an American company ran by Oleg Vidov and his wife Joan Borsten, signed a nine-year contract with the new Soyuzmultfilm director Stanislav Rozhkov that gave them exclusive distribution and editing rights for the major part of the studio's collection. They were supposed to share incomes, but only after their expenses would've been paid off. As a result, animators received nothing for their past works. In 1993 they elected a new director, a shady businessman Sergei Skulyabin who promised to turn the studio into a joint-stock company. Instead he signed a new contract with Vidov, extending it from nine to twenty years and returning a number of non-profitable films. His plan was to sell exclusive rights for all past and future films to his dummy corporation and bankrupt the studio.[61][62]

When animators realized it, they managed to overthrow him with the help from the Union of Cinematographers and Goskino, although the Ministry of State Property still refused to step in and return the studio the state status. Skulyabin also refused to leave the director's chair up until 30 June 1999 when Sergei Stepashin finally signed a long-awaited order that turned Soyuzmultfilm into a unitary enterprise. By that time the production completely stopped.[62] In 2001 the Supreme Court of Arbitration of Russia returned the rights to the whole collection back to Soyuzmultfilm which led to a legal battle with Films by Jove. Only in 2007 Vidov and Borsten agreed to sell the collection to the Russian business magnate Alisher Usmanov who donated it to the state-run children's channel Bibigon.[61][63] Around the same time the studio came back to life.

Nevertheless, there were a few very successful international co-productions, e.g. the aforementioned Shakespeare: The Animated Tales and Aleksandr Petrov's Oscar-winning The Old Man and the Sea (1999). An ambitious project in 12 series Dunno on the Moon was released between 1997 and 1999. Based on the Soviet sci-fi novel of the same name, it was produced at Aleksei Guskov's F.A.F. Entertainment in the best traditions of Soviet hand-made animation. Despite the hardships, Natalya Lukinykh has estimated that Russian animated films won about twice as many prestigious international awards in the 1990s as Russian live-action films.[64]

As Russia's economic situation became increasingly stable, so did the market for animation, and during the last three years a number of feature-length animation films from Russian studios have emerged (e.g. Melnitsa Animation Studio's Little Longnose, 2003, from Wilhelm Hauff's fairy tale, and Solnechny Dom Studio's 2006 Prince Vladimir, based on early history of Rus' – the highest-grossing Russian animated film to date). While the Russian animation community is yet far from reaching the splendor it possessed before the end of the Soviet Union, a significant recovery is being made and it is becoming more and more clear that the revived Russian animation industry will be very different from what it was in the late 1980s. According to Andrei Dobrunov, head of Solnechny Dom, several Russian studios are currently working on some ten animated feature films.[65]

Especial released on July 31, 2006 was Russia's first CG-animated feature film.[66] At the same time, Soyuzmultfilm has partnered up with Mihail Chemiakin and is working on Hoffmaniada, a puppet-animated feature film which is deliberately being made entirely without computers. In 2007, the Morevna Project was launched, aiming at creating a science fiction re-telling the folk-tale of Marya Morevna as an anime primarily by using the free software Synfig tool and releasing it under a Creative Commons license.[67] Other popular Russian Internet cartoons include Masyanya and Mr. Freeman. A corporate collaboration between the Japanese Studio 4°C and Russia's Molot Entertainment also produced the anime film First Squad (2009), which won the Kommersant newspaper's prize.[68]

Beginning in 2009, animation entered a new crisis as Goskino indefinitely postponed funding for all projects, and for the 2010 budget the state cut animation funding by half. The animation community reacted by appealing to the President and the public. [1] [2] In 2010, many of the major studios, including Pilot, were either closed or on the verge of shutting down. The vast majority of studios had relied on state support to some extent, and Goskino did not fulfill any of their contractual obligations to pay for the films that they had ordered and which the studios had already produced.[3] In addition, Disney has been accused of using anti-competitive practices to sideline domestic Russian competition on TV channels.[4]

The Center of National Film CG animated film Space Dogs, released on March 18, 2010 and about the Soviet space dogs Strelka and Belka, received an English release on June 8, 2012 and spawned a broader franchise. Wizart Animation, alongside InlayFilm, also produced a new CG film version of The Snow Queen (2012), spawning a new franchise with sequels The Snow Queen 2 (2014) and The Snow Queen 3: Fire and Ice (2016), alongside their first fully original concept Sheep and Wolves (2016).

Animaccord Animation Studio has had success in CG television animation with its children's series Masha and the Bear (2009–present), whose emphasis on pantomime has helped it export outside of the country, premièring on the US version of Netflix in August 2015.[69][70] Another long running, educational, children's series by Melnitsa Animation Studio called Luntik has aired since September 1, 2006. An earlier success in this market was Kikoriki which aired from May 7, 2004 until 2012, produced by Petersburg Animation Studio with assistance from the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. English-language distribution rights to the series were acquired by 4Kids Entertainment from worldwide distributor Fun Game Media, Munich[71] and began airing as part of The CW4Kids block on The CW on September 13, 2008, under the name GoGoRiki.[72] In 2011 a prequel feature film was released entitled Kikoriki. Team Invincible and further films are planned. A connecting factor in many recent Russian animated efforts is Timur Bekmambetov, whose Bazelevs Company has helped produce, finance and promote Kikoriki and The Snow Queen.[73]

In 2010, the animated series The Fixies premiered on Karusel and Russia 1.

In 2018, Soyuzmultfilm, announced plans to restore films from its Golden Collection.[74] On 5 December 2020, the second part of the Golden Collection was restored and released theatrically by United Network "Cinema Park" in Russia. The release was followed up online premiere service viewing options.[75][76]

Popular animation studios[edit]

  • Soyuzmultfilm
  • Melnitsa Animation Studio
  • Petersburg Animation Studio
  • Animaccord Animation Studio
  • Wizart Animation
  • InlayFilm
  • Toondra

See also[edit]

  • History of animation
  • Animator.ru
  • Masters of Russian Animation
  • Encyclopedia of Domestic Animation
  • KROK International Animated Films Festival
  • Open Russian Festival of Animated Film
  • Magia Russica

References[edit]

  1. ^ Kisselgoff, Anna. Critic's Notebook; Pioneering Russian Films Show Ballet Master's Wit. New York Times. January 14, 2005. Accessed on: June 23, 2009.
  2. ^ a b Lord, Peter. The start of stop-frame. The Guardian. November 14, 2008. Accessed on: June 23, 2009.
  3. ^ a b Nina Alovert. Belated Premier. Past Pages Come to Life article from the Russian Bazaar magazine, January, 2005 (in Russian)
  4. ^ Pordenone diary 2008 – day seven at The Bioscope blog, October 22, 2008
  5. ^ a b c d Bendazzi, Giannalberto (2016). Animation : a world history. Volume I, Foundations - The Golden Age. Boca Raton, FL: Focal Press. pp. 72–81, 174–177. ISBN 978-1-138-94307-0. OCLC 930331668.CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  6. ^ a b c Larisa Malyukova (2013). OVERcinema. Modern Russian animation. — Saint Petersburg: Umnaya Masha, p. 264–265, 268 ISBN 978-5-9904193-1-5
  7. ^ a b c d e Sergey Kapkov (2006). Encyclopedia of Domestic Animation, p. 14–21
  8. ^ Animated Soviet Propaganda review at The New York Times, March 13, 2007
  9. ^ Alexander Buskin's filmography at Animator.ru
  10. ^ Senka the African at YouTube, public domain (English subtitles)
  11. ^ a b c d e f Ivan Ivanov-Vano (1980). Frame by Frame. — Moscow: Iskusstvo, 239 pages, p. 34, 98, 102, 112–129, 150, 12–13, 223–226
  12. ^ The Skating Rink, original version at YouTube, public domain (English subtitles)
  13. ^ a b c d e f Giannalberto Bendazzi (2016). Animation: A World History: Volume I: Foundations - The Golden Age at Google Books, p. 80–81, 79, 175
  14. ^ Semyon Ginzburg. Bolvashka's Adventures Archived 2017-08-28 at the Wayback Machine article from the Hand-Drawn and Stop-Motion Animated Films book (1957) (in Russian)
  15. ^ Bolvashka's Adventures at Animator.ru
  16. ^ Aleksandr Lukich Ptushko article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia
  17. ^ It Happened at Stadium (Bratiskin's Adventures) (1928) at YouTube, public domain (in Russian)
  18. ^ a b c Gulliverkino: Far Side of the Fairy Tale. Aleksandr Ptushko - Innovations article from Iskusstvo Kino, May 5, 2015 (in Russian)
  19. ^ The Adventures of the Little Chinese at kinoglaz.fr
  20. ^ Svetlana Kim, Aleksandr Deryabin. A Breath of Freedom. Diaries of Mikhail Tsekhanovsky at the Notes by Film Historian magazine, 2001 ISSN 0235-8212 (in Russian)
  21. ^ a b Eleonora Guylan, Peter Bagrov. Once upon a time... Memoirs about the Leningrad pre-war animation at the Notes by Film Historian magazine, 2005 ISSN 0235-8212 (in Russian)
  22. ^ a b Sergei Asenin (2012). The World of Animation // The Tropes of Soviet Animation, p. 45–46. — Moscow: Print-on-Demand, 303 pages ISBN 978-5-458-30516-7
  23. ^ a b c d Nikolai Mayorov. The Color of Soviet Cinema from the Film Expert's Notes magazine № 98, 2011 (in Russian)
  24. ^ John Riley (2005). Dmitri Shostakovich: A Life in Film. — New York: I.B.Tauris, 150 pages ISBN 1 85043 709 2
  25. ^ Sound, Speech, Music in Soviet and Post-Soviet Cinema, 2014 by Indiana University Press, p. 22, 33 ISBN 978-0-253-01110-7
  26. ^ The Crow's Dance by Nikolai Voinov, 1933, public domain (in Russian)
  27. ^ Now in America, the Films of the Soviet Walt Disney article from The New York Times, December 30, 2001
  28. ^ Irina Margolina, Eduard Nazarov. Animation from A to Z. Alexandre Alexeieff documentary series, episodes 3–4, REN TV, 1996
  29. ^ Sergei Asenin (1983). The Wisdom of Fiction: Masters of Animation about Themselves and Their Art. — Moscow: Iskusstvo, p. 37
  30. ^ a b c Kirill Malyantovich. How they fought cosmopolites at Soyuzmultfilm article from the Notes by Film Historian magazine, 2001 ISSN 0235-8212 (in Russian)
  31. ^ The Stars of Russian Animation. Film 5. Leonid Amalrik by Irina Margolina and Eduard Nazarov, 2012 (in Russian)
  32. ^ a b c d Irina Margolina, Natalia Lozinskaya (2006). Our Animation. — Moscow: Interros, p. 46–51, 58–63, 146–152, 70–75 ISBN 5-91105-007-2
  33. ^ The Art Faculty at the official VGIK website
  34. ^ Anna Belonogova. Heroes of Soyuzmultfilm at the VGIK website (archived)
  35. ^ Viktor Eryomin (2016). Biographies of the Great Fairy Tale Writers. — Moscow: Osteon Fond, 531 pages ISBN 9781772466751
  36. ^ Peter Rollberg (2016). Historical Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Cinema. — Rowman & Littlefield, p. 328 ISBN 978-1-4422-6842-5
  37. ^ a b c The Stars of Russian Animation. Film 4. Eugene Migunov by Irina Margolina and Eduard Nazarov, 2012 (in Russian)
  38. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Giannalberto Bendazzi (2016). Animation: A World History: Volume II: The Birth of a Style - The Three Markets at Google Books, p. 81, 282–297, 303–309
  39. ^ a b Larisa Malyukova's interview with Leonid Shvartsman at Animator.ru (in Russian)
  40. ^ Karandash and Klyaksa — Merry Hunters at Animator.ru
  41. ^ a b Soyuzmultfilm. Fables and Stories. Tales of Old Arbat documentary by Natalya Lukinykh at the Suzdalfest official channel, 2003 (in Russian)
  42. ^ Familiar Pictures at Animator.ru
  43. ^ a b Monsters of Animation. Boris Stepantsev at the official 2×2 channel (in Russian)
  44. ^ Max Zherebchevsky: "I create all kind of wonders out of fear" interview with an art director, August 30, 2012 (in Russian)
  45. ^ Iosif Boyarsky (1995). Literary Collages. — Moscow: Russian Binding (online magazine, in Russian)
  46. ^ Soyuzmultfilm. Fables and Stories. Merry Tales about Sad Things documentary by Natalya Lukinykh at the Master-Film official channel, 2004 (in Russian)
  47. ^ SMARTNEWS Keeping you current Russia Has Its Own Classic Version of an Animated Winnie-the-Pooh
  48. ^ Full Cast & Crew at IMDb
  49. ^ a b The Nu, Pogodi! Series Turned to Be the Most Beloved Animation in Russia by RIA Novosti, February 26, 2014 (in Russian)
  50. ^ Episode 20 of Nu, Pogodi! Released — No More Sequels by NEWSru, November 22, 2006 (in Russian)
  51. ^ Georgy Borodin. "An Artist Must Die..." Anatoly Petrov Died article from Gazeta.ru, March 5, 2010 (in Russian)
  52. ^ New Prostokvashino at the Soyuzmultfilm Youtube channel
  53. ^ a b c Computer Animation Across the Iron Curtain: Digital Character Design in Kitty (1968) by Booth Wilson
  54. ^ Kitty film and post-mortem article from the Problems of Cybernetics magazine, issue 28, 1974 (in Russian)
  55. ^ a b Leonid Levkovich-Maslyuk. The Arrival of a Kitty article from Computerra № 7, 21 February 2006 (in Russian)
  56. ^ Leonid Levkovich-Maslyuk. Interview with Nikolay Konstantinov from Computerra № 7, 21 February 2006 (in Russian)
  57. ^ The Master of Plasticine Crowns documentary by Channel One Russia, 2010 (in Russian)
  58. ^ Shakespeare: The Animated Tales Awards at IMDb
  59. ^ About School-Studio “SHAR” at the official site
  60. ^ Biography of the film director Garri Bardin at the official site
  61. ^ a b Olga Razumovskaya. Studio Renews Fight For Soviet Cartoons article at The Moscow Times, 18 August 2010
  62. ^ a b Georgy Borodin. Goodbye, Souyzmultfilm! article at Animator.ru, August–October 2003 (in Russian)
  63. ^ Films By Jove Sells Award Winning Animation Library Rights to Russian Magnate article at Business Wire, September 05, 2007
  64. ^ Natalya Lukinykh. The Splendors and Miseries of the Russian Animation article at Animator.ru, 2001 (in Russian)
  65. ^ Anna Smolchenko. Disney Looks to Reanimate Russian Cartoon Sector article from The St. Petersburg Times, May 2, 2006 (archived)
  66. ^ Especial at Animator.ru
  67. ^ The Morevna Project: Anime with Synfig and Blender Archived August 14, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  68. ^ "4°C's First Squad Wins Award at Moscow Int'l Fim Fest". Anime News Network. 2009-06-30. Retrieved 2009-10-11.
  69. ^ http://kidscreen.com/2015/06/03/netflix-picks-up-seven-new-kids-series/
  70. ^ "Drawings that come to life, o Russian contemporary cartoons". ImpulsPlus. 2017-01-25. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
  71. ^ "GoGoRiki confirmed for fall 2008". Archived from the original on 2009-01-23. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
  72. ^ "4Kids announces fall 2008 Lineups for Fox and The CW". Archived from the original on January 4, 2009. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
  73. ^ Check Out a Trailer for The Snow Queen, ComingSoon.Net (article by Silas Lesnick), October 28, 2012
  74. ^ ""Союзмультфильм" реставрирует семь картин "Золотой коллекции"". WORLD PODIUM (in Russian). Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  75. ^ "Отреставрированные анимационные картины золотой коллекции "Союзмультфильма" покажут в кино" [Restored animated pictures of the golden collection of Soyuzmultfilm will be shown in the cinema]. ТАСС. 2020-11-27. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
  76. ^ "Классика "Союзмультфильма" появится в онлайн-кинотеатрах" [Soyuzmultfilm classics will appear in online cinemas]. IncNews (in Russian). 2020-10-09. Retrieved 2021-04-15.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Bendazzi, Giannalberto. 1994. Cartoons. One Hundred Years of Cinema Animation. London/Bloomington: John Libbey/Indiana University Press.
  • Giesen, Rolf. 2003. Lexikon des Trick- und Animationsfilms. Berlin: Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf.
  • Leslie, Ester. 2002. Hollywood Flatlands. Animation, Critical Theory and the Avant-Garde. London, New York: Verso.
  • Pilling, Jayne (Ed.). 1997. A Reader in Animation Studies. London et al.: John Libbey.
  • Асенин, Сергей Владимирович. 1986. Мир мультфильма. Москва: Искусство.
  • Венжер, Наталья Яковлевна (Ed.). 1990. Сотворение фильма. Несколько интервью по служебным вопросам. Москва: Союз Кинематографистов СССР.
  • Иванов-Вано, Иван Петрович. 1978. Кадр за кадром, Москва: Искусство.
  • Орлов, Алексей Михайлович. 1995. Аниматограф и его анима: психогенные аспекты экранных технологий. Москва: Импето.

External links[edit]

  • Animator.ru – the homepage of the Russian animation community. Includes an English-language database
  • Soyuzmultfilm homepage The most famous Russian animation studio's home page (in Russian)
  • Officially licensed YouTube channel for Soyuzmultfilm animation in Russian (English subtitles promised)
  • www.pilot-film.com Another famous studio's homepage (in Russian and English)
  • Animated Century. The Stars of Russian Animation documentary series (in Russian, English website)
  • Russian Insider – a blog focusing on current and past Russian/Soviet animation
  • Mountain of Gems series at the official YouTube channel (in Russian, English, Spanish and Chinese)
  • Blog about Russian Animation Influence in Cuban Culture
  • Soviet Cartoons Online - in English and Russian, with Russian and English subtitles

News articles[edit]

  • The St. Petersburg Times (Russia) – a May 2006 article about the film Prince Vladimir and the future of the animation industry in Russia
  • Redrawing Russian History (May 18, 2006)
  • In-depth history of the appalling and criminal happenings at Soyuzmultfilm during the 1990s (in Russian)
  • An overview of Russian animated feature films in the 1990s and early 2000s (in Russian)
  • Russian animation in search of a hero Maria Tereschenko, Russia Beyond the Headlines, December 17, 2009 (English)