What’s the legendary ‘Soyuzmultfilm’ studio producing today?
Animated franchises
The studio's "golden collection" – Soviet multi-episode projects – has been given new lease on life. At ‘Soyuzmultfilm’ studio, they believe that releasing new episodes featuring beloved characters allows adults and their children to share a common cultural framework.
For example, the animated series ‘Prostokvashino’ has been airing since 2018. Among the main characters, just like the Soviet cartoons based on Eduard Uspensky's books, are a boy named ‘Uncle Fyodor’, a dog named ‘Sharik’ and a cat named ‘Matroskin’. Originally, the plot revolved around the main character's escape from the city to the countryside and his adventures there. The new ‘Prostokvashino’ is set in the present day.
Uncle Fyodor now has a younger sister, the talking magpie has been joined by a rodent named ‘Tama-Tama’ and Matroskin and Sharik have become farmers. Seven seasons have already been released. Actor Oleg Tabakov, who voiced the original Matroskin, added a significant amount of charm to the cartoon. In the new episodes, the cat is voiced by his son, Anton.
Another famous franchise, ‘Well, Just You Wait!’, ran from 1969 to 1993. Several more episodes were released in the 2000s. It was revived again in 2021, although the new cartoons don't directly continue the Soviet-era storyline of conflict. The Wolf no longer plans to eat the Hare.
In ‘Well, Just You Wait! Vacation’, created using 3D animation, the Wolf dreams of beating him in sports and academic competitions — and hasn't given up on this, even after four seasons!
Last year, new stories about ‘Cheburashka’ were launched. And another long-running series from the studio is the story of a polar bear cub named ‘Umka’. In 2019, a new episode of his adventures was released, telling the story of how he ends up at a New Year's tree. A year later, a full series was released.
New projects
Young viewers of ‘Soyuzmultfilm’ have their own heroes. For example, Petya, a schoolboy from St. Petersburg, who teams up with the Wolf to solve problems faced by fairy-tale characters. The ‘Orange Cow’ family, meanwhile, helps people understand real-life situations that can arise. Space hamster ‘Ziggy’ dreams of becoming a superhero and uses the power gained from Shustrik's meteorite.
The studio continues to produce original animation and is also involved in the creation of feature-length projects based on the adventures of classic ‘Soyuzmultfilm’ characters. Big screen adaptations exist for ‘The Flying Ship’ and ‘The Bremen Town Musicians’.
Childhood heroes continue to touch audiences' hearts, so it's no surprise that the story of ‘Cheburashka’, now a film character, who is swept away by a hurricane to a resort town on the Black Sea, has recently broken box office records.
The studio remains committed to classic animation technologies, but is also embracing new ones. It recently launched a nationwide AI cartoon competition and, in the near future, plans to launch a user platform for creating short animated films featuring characters and music from the studio's library.
Parks & entertainment
The studio has even created its own "Disneyland" – ‘Soyuzmultpark’ is now open in Moscow and Kazan, featuring rides based on characters beloved by audiences. In addition, it also plans to open several theme parks in various regions across the country. The first of these may open in the ‘Manzherok’ resort in Gorno-Altaisk and in the border town of Blagoveshchensk.
The studio also houses the ‘Soyuzmultclub’, a space where you can learn about its history and experience being an animator in workshops. And for those who want to delve deeper into animation, there are animation schools in Moscow, Tyumen and Kaluga.
Last year, the studio opened its own café at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport and launched its own TV channel, ‘Multlandia’, which attracts 15 million viewers every month. In addition, for several years now, the studio has also been releasing toys based on its cartoons, so now a piece of the studio can be found in almost every home.