Suicidal ideation: The dog intends to commit suicide. (he gets interrupted).
Soviet Animation
Please Read this first!
These links lead to the official-looking versions of these films as posted on youtube!
I have no idea what the legal status is of any reposts, and a few good subbed versions have gone down over the years so I won't outright link to any. I will say that they're really not hard to find! for most of these it's as simple as using the russian spelling of the title + "eng sub" as keywords on youtube. This does mean that I can't really vouch for any specific translations :(
I've heard there's some decent sources elsewhere but i haven't been able to find them.
When I have a moment I'll do some research on the defunct film companies, at the very least reposts from those should be fine? Until then, good luck with your search!
Note: This page is under construction!
Currently WIP:
- Epilepsy warnings.
- I'm also putting together a CW guide cause minor/moderate/extreme
may mean different things to different people. - Still looks like ass on mobile, i'll fix that somewhere in the next hundred years.
The soviet animated adaptation of Treasure Island. you've seen the memes but are you ready for SOVIET ANTI-SMOKING AND PRO-AEROBICS PSA ROCK SONG INTERMISSIONS
This is genuinely a really good iteration- the writing is fun, the animation is insanely good (save for some budget hiccups) and the voice acting is amazing. like have you heard Long John Silver speak in this version? it's great. Check it out!
Based off a Ukranian folk tale.
An aging dog is chased from his home after failing to guard the house. His old enemy, the wolf, hatches a plan to help him out.
A short stop-motion series based on the books of Eduard Uspensky. Cheburashka is maybe the most iconic character in soviet animation, and the mascot of Soyuzmultfilm. He's also absolutely adorable. His name comes from the word "cheburahnut'sa" which is "to fall over/to tumble"... I'm not entirely sure it was a real word prior to the book this cartoon was based on? According to wikipedia in early english translations his name was Topple which actually works pretty well for a literal translation!
1. Gena the Crocodile | Крокодил Гена (1969)
A very kind but lonely crocodile puts up flyers to advertise that he's looking for a friend. (Meanwhile, a fruit seller finds a strange little fellow in his crate of oranges.)
2. Cheburashka | Чебурашка (1971)
Gena and Cheburashka try to help the neighbourhood, with mixed results.
3. Shapoklyak | Шапокляк (1974)
Gena and Cheburashka lose their tickets mid-train ride to Moscow, and have to get off the train in the middle of nowhere.(By lose their tickets i mean the tickets got stolen by Local Elderly Delinquent Shapoklyak)
4. Cheburashka Goes To School | Чебурашка идёт в школу (1983)
What it says on the tin.
In the year 2181 a nine-year-old girl, Alice, spends her summer holidays spacefaring with her dad who is collecting various offworld species for the Moscow Zoo. When the last living specimen of a Chatterbird is given into their care, they attract the attention of some shady individuals...
Based off the book series, "Alice's Travel" by Kir Bulychev.
Based off a fairy tale by Hovhannes Tumanyan.
An old man catches a talking fish, which, in exchange for its freedom, promises him a favour.
One of my favourites! It gets VERY pun heavy in one of the scenes, to the point where it might be confusing in translation.
Based off an Armenian folk tale.
A fisherman's son is kidnapped by a sea wizard as the wizard's successor.
Yes the fisherman looks exactly the same as the one from the previous short but he isn't the same person- there's a third animation by this team ("Ишь ты, масленица") that recycles the fisherman and son's designs! I have no idea what the intention was here. Budget, maybe? Analog animation is expensive as hell so I can see why they'd wanna do that. Or maybe they just really liked their old man design.
Once upon a time, in a certain plasticine-y locality, a lazy oaf of a husband tried to find his wife a pine tree for New Year's Eve.
This one's heavy on puns and references. The puns aren't exactly important to the plot but they greatly increase the enjoyment of watching the short.
a compilation of shorts.
1. "About Pictures" Based on the poems of Alexander Kushner. A song explaining the differences between a landscape, a still life, and a portrait! Created using kid's drawings (from the Pioneer's Palace in Kiev. Pioneers are like... boy scouts, i think?)
2. "A Game" Based on the poems of Shike Driz. A song about peek-a-boo! Also created using the pioneer's drawings.
3. "The Plasticine Crow" A very, very silly short based on the poems of Eduard Uspensky parodying the fable of Ivan Andreyevich Krylov.
Vanya, a simple chimneysweep, falls in love with the tsar's daughter. However her father wants her to marry a different man. To give Vanya a chance, she sets a condition: she will only marry the man who can build her a flying ship.
MORE BOPS!!! I think my favourite song's the one Vanya sings about how unlucky it is that he's fallen in love with the tsarevna of all people.
How the Cossacks...
A series of shorts about the adventures of three cossacks. These guys are iconic in Ukraine! A lot of the plots involve a roadtrip around the world.
(Descs WIP)6. ...Helped the Musketeers
This one's got the chattiest narrator, you might need a english sub for this one.
7. ...Greeted the Aliens
One of my favourites!
8. ...Enjoyed the Wedding
The other one of my favourites!
9. ...Played Hockey"
From what i recall i really didnt like this one
Based off a fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen.
After her best friend is stolen away by the Snow Queen, Gerda must travel far and wide to get him back.
Apparently it heavily inspired Hayao Miyazaki's work:
“Had I not seen The Snow Queen during a film screening hosted by the company labor union,” Miyazaki later wrote, “I honestly doubt that I would have continued working as an animator.” (quote from Animation Obsessive)
A story about a lonely little girl who really wants a puppy.
A boy named Uncle Fyodor decides to run away from home and settle in the countryside with a cat named Matroskin and a dog named Sharik.
1. Three from Prostokvashino | Трое из Простоквашино (1978)
Uncle Fyodor runs from home after his parents wouldn't let him keep the stray cat that lives in the attic of their apartment building.
2. Holidays in Prostokvashino | Каникулы в Простоквашино (1980)
Instead of going to a Sochi resort with his parents, Uncle Fyodor ditches them and catches a train to Prostokvashino instead.
3. Winter in Prostokvashino | Зима в Простоквашино (1984)
Uncle Fyodor and his dad visit Prostokvashino for the holidays.
The soviet iteration of Winnie the Pooh. In my humble opinion I like this one better (but to be fair i didn't really grow up with the US one so I have no nostalgia for it). Christopher Robin doesn't appear to exist in this one though.
1. Winnie the Pooh | Винни-Пух (1969)
Pooh finds a beehive and recruits Piglet to help him retrieve the honey.
2. Winnie the Pooh goes visiting | Винни-Пух идёт в гости (1971)
Pooh gets a little peckish on a walk with Piglet and decides to visit his friend, Rabbit.
3. Winnie the Pooh and the day of Troubles | Винни-Пух и день забот (1972)
this one's about 20 mins long.
It's Eeyore's birthday and he hasn't recieved a single present or birthday wish. Not to mention that he's lost his tail! Pooh decides to fix this injustice immediately.
A kind of really funny thing is that there's a brand of sausages in russia that are named after Piglet and they have a picture of him on the packaging.
A story about a puppy that nobody liked because he was blue and his search for friendship.
In Russian, light blue (goluboy) is slang for gay. Idk if that was something coined before or after this cartoon's release tho.