Animation as a means of forming value attitudes in the USSR in 1950–90s

Abstract

The object of the research is Soviet animation of the period of 1950–1990. The author examines the stages of animation development, as well as the transformation of the main artistic methods and images used by Soviet animators. The relationship between the features of the development of animation and cultural and historical processes in the USSR is revealed. The influence of the ideological foundations broadcast from above on the industry is shown. In the course of the study, the main tasks of Soviet animation were identified, which can be traced in the cartoons of the period under review. Content analysis is used as a research method. The main films of each decade of the Soviet era were selected and analysed, and a secondary analysis of research on animation was carried out. The idea of the article is, firstly, to show how ideology changed in the Soviet era, and secondly, how these ideological attitudes were broadcast through cartoons. In the article, Soviet animation is analysed as a means of ideological influence of the authorities on society and the formation of a Soviet citizen. The author’s contribution consists in an attempt to systematise a number of animated films in accordance with their intended ideological content.