Russian Animation Research Articles

On the issue of classification of parameters of artistic space in an animated film

Artistic space in animation art is a multifaceted concept, including various aspects that influence the perception of an animated film. This topic is actively discussed in theoretical discourse and covers various approaches to its terminological definition and classification. The purpose of this scientific study is to justify the choice of universal parameters, from the point of view of the author of the work, characterizing the artistic space of an animated film. The object of the study was animation cinema as a phenomenon of art and culture. The subject of the study is the artistic space of an animation work. The objectives of the study are to analyze existing art classifications parameters of the artistic space of an animated film, as well as to propose the following parameters for analyzing the artistic space of an animated work: semantic, temporal, editing-rhythmic, color-light, sound. To classify the artistic space of an animated film, a system-analytical and typological approach was used. In the analysis of animated films, descriptive-analytical and structural-semantic methods were used. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that it is the first to propose a classification of parameters with the help of which it is possible to deeply analyze different aspects of the artistic space of an animated work, which is of interest for further art history research in the field of animated cinema. As examples of how the listed parameters of the artistic space of an animated work contribute to a holistic and deep examination of the films, the films of Russian animation film directors - Yu. B. Norshteyn "The Tale of Tales" and D. A. Geller "A Man Meets a Woman" - are analyzed. The proposed classification provides potential for art historical research in the field of animation art.

The influence of Russian religious aesthetics on Russian animation

Russian religious aesthetics, and in particular the canon of Orthodox iconography, had a huge impact on all spheres of Russian culture. Among these areas, the influence of religious aesthetics on Soviet animation in the mid-twentieth century has been studied least of all. The study is based on a comparative historical analysis, semiotic and discursive study of the visual text. The main purpose of the study is to highlight the actual immanent features of religious aesthetics in general and, in particular, to analyze Russian (Soviet) animation to identify the features inherent in traditional Orthodox iconography in it. Such immanent features were singled out based on a discursive-textual analysis of the works of the most prominent representatives of Russian religious aesthetics of the late 19th - first half of the twentieth century. The study of the visual text of the most famous animation works of the time under study made it possible to find in them features corresponding to the iconographic Orthodox canon and its strong influence both in formal features and in the philosophy of creativity of Soviet animators. The results of the study can become part of training courses on aesthetics, philosophy, history, animation and cinematography.

Povestvovatel'naya strategiya i vdohnovenie rossijskih polnometrazhnyh mul'tiplikacionnyh fil'mov o trekh bogatyryah

The localization of the narrative is an important factor in the success of The Three Bogatyrs, which is a phenomenal film in the history of Russian animation films in the new era. The folk narrative, historical narrative and carnival narrative are interwoven and blended to balance the storytelling, ideology and entertainment of the series. The use of traditional cultural symbols greatly broadens the potential audience resources of the animated film series.

The humanistic spirit and poetic aesthetics of Russian animated films (on the example of the work of Yuri Norstein)

Under the influence of French avant-garde filmmakers who created the creative method of "montage film", at the beginning of the twentieth century, Soviet director Sergei Eisenstein developed a technique called "intelligent editing". Later, the famous film director Andrei Tarkovsky constructed the inner truth of the film with the help of poetic expression, thereby giving it a unique poetic aesthetic. This form of filmmaking has had a profound impact on Russian animated cinema. This article is devoted to the study of the specifics of Russian animation on the example of paintings by Yuri Norstein, in particular, the analysis of the humanistic spirit and poetic aesthetics. Special attention is paid in the article to the symbolism of the cinematic images of the works of Yu. Norstein and the peculiarities of the reflection of reality in animation. The main conclusion of this study : in contrast to Hollywood animation with the shocking creation of visual meanings, in Russian animated works, a calm narrative with symbolic meaning attached to details gradually rises to the level of philosophical comprehension. Yuri Norstein's paintings are full of symbols and metaphors that evoke various associations in the audience and give free rein to their imagination. The content of cartoon paintings is characterized by depth and a multilevel system of meanings embodying the Russian national culture and the picture of the world. The combination of realistic traditions with advanced techniques distinguishes the director's work from American animation.

Between Poetics and Production. A Russian Trace in Shakespeare: The Animated Tales (Soyuzmultfilm / Christmas Films / S4C / BBC Wales)

Given that it was commissioned by channel S4C, with the scripts written by L. Garfield, dialogues recorded by British actors, and production coordinated by D. Edwards, the series Shakespeare: The Animated Tales (1992-94) could easily be viewed as a purely British television adaptation of British classics. However, this is a joint project, in which Russian studios Soyuzmultfilm and Christmas Films were responsible for animating the shows. This article therefore explores a “Russian trace” in Shakespeare: The Animated Tales, which reveals itself in both the poetics of each episode (directed by N. Orlova, N. Serebryakov, S. Sokolov, A. Zyablikova, etc.) and the specificity of the production process. It focuses on the interplay of animated images and their counterparts in Soviet film adaptations of Shakespeare. Indeed, M. Muat’s episode adapting Twelfth Night, N. Serebryakov’s adaptation of Othello, and Orlova’s interpretation of Hamlet rework a whole range of motifs inspired by Soviet adaptations (directed by I. Frid, S. Yutkevitch, G. Kosintsev, respectively). The dominant motifs of each episode also represent an imaginative approach taken by Russian animation artists who rewrote British classics through their visual poetics. The directors’ previous work in animation influences not only stylistic but also production choices (animation techniques, teams of production designers, animators, composers). Part of the article therefore focuses on the aspects of production transformed due to the British influence and yet still deeply rooted in the traditional style of work at Soyuzmultfilm (e. g. long production cycles). To explore this production specificity and its influence on poetics (the poetic matter), I interviewed several professionals involved in the project (N. Orlova, N. Dabizha, I. Markozyan, A. Zyablikova).

She Animates: Soviet Female Subjectivity in Russian Animation. By Michele Leigh and Lora Mjolsness. Film and Media Studies. Brookline, Mass.: Academic Studies Press, 2020. viii, 193 pp. Notes. Bibliography. Index. Filmography. Illustrations. Photographs. $32.00, paper.

She Animates: Soviet Female Subjectivity in Russian Animation. By Michele Leigh and Lora Mjolsness. Film and Media Studies. Brookline, Mass.: Academic Studies Press, 2020. viii, 193 pp. Notes. Bibliography. Index. Filmography. Illustrations. Photographs. $32.00, paper. - Volume 81 Issue 1

Michele Leigh and Lora Mjolsness: She Animates: Soviet Female Subjectivity in Russian Animation

Michele Leigh and Lora Mjolsness: She Animates: Soviet Female Subjectivity in Russian Animation

‘Fluctuations of life’: mutability and impermanence in Aleksandr Petrov’s animated films

ABSTRACT This article focuses on Russian animation director Aleksandr Petrov’s short films, created with the rarely employed, labour-intensive paint-on-glass technique. Using an animation studies approach, this article explores the formal features of Petrov’s signature aesthetic, often described as ‘painting brought to life’. In particular, this discussion of his oeuvre focuses on the ways in which his animation technique facilitates the complex interplay between visual metamorphosis, spatial mutability and temporal ellipsis characteristic of his films. Through a close reading of relevant sequences from a range of works (including both fictional and promotional shorts), this article investigates how the constant metamorphic flow of the director’s imagery engenders what Petrov himself has described as ‘the sense of instability and fluctuation of life’ that permeates his animation. In doing so, it aims to suggest that paint-on-glass films – and under-camera animation more broadly – can challenge and complicate existing assumptions about animation and destabilise traditional hierarchies in film theory discourse.

Архетипические основы российского патриотического анимационного контента

The archetypal foundations of the image of the Russian animation hero are analyzed at the article. The epic and fairy-tale features of the character are designated, the features inherent in the image are formulated, dating back to both Western mass culture and domestic Soviet animated content.

Cooperation between the Russian Animation Industry and Asian Partners

One of the main trends in the development of the Russian animation industry is the intensification of international cooperation and promotion on international media markets. Russian animators are developing different forms of international cooperation and co-production in the context of the economic crisis, financing problems, lack of second-tier personnel and production capacities, as well as national distribution problems. In the situation of a weakening relationship with European partners, there is an increase in cooperation with Asian companies.
 The leading role is given to cooperation with China, due to the policies pursued by the two countries and close cultural interaction supported at the intergovernmental level. Russian companies are moving from outsourcing in film production to other forms of interaction, such as co-financing of projects and co-production. The essay analyzes the co-production experience of such leaders of the Russian animation industry as Riki, KinoAtis and Wizart Animation.
 Co-production with foreign companies involves a number of problems caused by cultural, mental, legal and organizational differences. Still, it combines financial efforts and consolidates technical capabilities, raising the quality of films to the world level. Co-production also stimulates international distribution and reduces financial risks, opens up opportunities to conquer new markets and overcome the systems of quotes that exist in some countries. In the Russian animation industry, the number of co-produced films demonstrates a tendency to increase. The development of various forms of interaction between the Russian animation business and foreign partners and the presentation of coproduced films on international media markets contributes to the formation of Russias positive image and promotes its national interests, lifestyle and culture, affirming animations long-standing status of a soft power asset.

Stereotypes of appearance in modern children’s Russian animation

Stereotypes of appearance in modern children’s Russian animation

The Key Art Strategies of “Soyuzmultfilm” in 1944-1946 Years

A comment to the history of Soyuzmultfilm. The short period in the history of the domestic animation from the late wartime up to the period known as fight against a disneevshchina and a malokartinye has not been sufficiently analyzed yet and has not gained fundamental historical and theoretical assessment. Basing upon archival documents, the author fills up this gap. The author dwells on the key events and important art strategies and administrative actions for resuscitation of the main center of the important branch of cinema in the post-war years. The author traces history of restoration of Soyuzmultfilm studio since the summer of 1944 when the Committee on of the cinema affairs of SNK USSR appointed the enthusiast of the Soviet doll animation Alexander Ptushko as the artistic director and the director of Soyuzmultfilm. Basing upon archival stuff, the author describes the process of establishing regular release of the movies, formations of crews of highly skilled masters as well as features of development of new technology of color cinema and a thematic plan. Just during this period the innovative crew of animators sprang into being, such films were created as films Konek-gorbunok by I. Vano, Spring melodies by D. Babichenko and A joy song by M. Pashchenko - the first picture of the studio, winning the international prize (8th Venice MFF, 1947). The author pinpoints the key art strategies and advances historical and theoretical assessment of the important period in the history of Russian animation.

On the Topics and Style of Soviet Animated Films

AbstractThis article provides a survey of Soviet animation and analyses the thematic and stylistic course of its development. Soviet animated film emerged and materialised in synch with the fluctuations of the region’s political climate and was directly shaped by it. A number of trends and currents of Soviet animation also pertain to other Eastern European countries. After all, Eastern Europe constituted an integrated cultural space that functioned as a single market for the films produced across it by filmmakers who interacted in a professional regional network of film education, events, festivals, publications etc.Initially experimental, post-revolutionary Russian animation soon fell under the sway of the Socialist Realist discourse, along with the rest of Soviet art, and quickly crystallised as a didactic genre for children. Disney’s paradigm became its major source of inspiration both in terms of visual style and thematic scope, despite the fact that Soviet Union was regarded as the ideological opposite of the Western way of life and mindset. The Soviet animation industry was spread across different studios and republics that adopted slightly varied production practices and tolerated different degrees of artistic freedom. Studios in the smaller republics, such as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in particular, stood out for making films that were more ideologically complicated than those produced in Moscow.

애니메이션 미장센 특성 연구 - 러시아 애니메이션을 중심으로

애니메이션 미장센 특성 연구 - 러시아 애니메이션을 중심으로

The interpretation of classical music in Polish and Russian animation as a basis for creative dialogue

Animated musical film, lying at the intersection of the two creative worlds and representing a dialogue between the musician and painter, is a living process of the visual interpretation of the artistic image of a musical work. A dialogue between the director of an animated film and the composer of a musical masterpiece can take place only if there is intonational (term used according to B. Asaf?ev?s writing) ?equalization? of the artistic and validation determinants of merger-related, personal, emotional states. The author emphasizes that within the artistic image of an animated film, the inner essence of the ?I? is made on the basis of the artist?s expression, the unity and consistency of color, sound, plastic solutions, coupled with deep philosophical generalizations, cultural, and value-semantic in their nature. The article provides examples of interpretations of classical music masterpieces in animated films by Russian and Polish filmmakers.

Russian Animation in the Modus of Child’s Archetype

The relevance of the problem is determined by the immanent dynamics of the eternal and the transient (the archetype and new cultural forms emerging in the art of cinema), the value of archetype as a universal code of the Russian popular culture. Novelty of the research is determined by the correlation of the child’s archetype with the classic Russian/Soviet animation (by the directors: Yu. Norstein, A. Petrov, G. Bardin) and with the new TVprojects of the popular culture (“Smeshariki”, 2007). The binary phenomenon is considered: the Russian cinematography and the child (as an image, metaphor, archetype). The material for the study is chosen according to the results of the interviews, obtained by the authors of the article, with the leading fi gures of the Russian culture and the socio-cultural research which demonstrates the level of recognition of cartoons as a signifi cant cultural experience (200 of the respondents, almost 90%). The authors emphasize the prevalence of the child’s archetype in the modern culture and propose a cultural-semantic and socio-psychological explanation of the archetype’s significance in the Russian animation.

Character’s Imagery in Russian Animation of 1990s

The article deals with the characters imagery evolution in Russian animation from 1992 to 1998. The imagery transformations are connected with sociocultural changes. This makes investigation of characters imagery evolution under transition from Soviet to Russian animation highly interesting. The chosen screen stuff is justified by the filmss genre and duration. The animations are classified according to the target audiencs age, production technology, the studio, where the film was created. These aspects influence on the characters imagery is explained on the basis not only of practical observation, but also of cinema theoreticians and practisers works. Such properties as the type of a character, ones gender, age, function in the plot are analyzed. Five concepts of characters type classification are introduced: a human, an anthropomorph, a zoomorph, an objectified and fantasy character. These characteristics are described theoretically and examplified by the animation films considered. Such concepts as the gender role, characters age and ones function in the plot are also illustrated with the examples from the animation films. The dynamics of characters transformations in these criteria, the ratio of character types in different years have been researched. The paper shows, how the character transforms in accordance with the type, how the dominating gender identity changes. The main trends in the dynamics of characters changes are singled out. The main relations between different features of this periods films hero, for example, between the production technology and the characters type, or between the target audiences age and the protagonists function in the plot, are drawn out . The author defines the dominated type of a character at certain studios, working most actively in the period in question, and for Russian animation environment in general. The general conclusion about the most accepted characters type of the period is drawn.

Collage Methods in Russian Animation Under Market Conditions

The subject matter of the article is the collage methods in the Russian animation of the last three decades. These methods allow the animator to manipulate not only the standard inventory of space-forming elements, but also various languages and cultural codes which leads to creating a varied complex spatial structure to be interpreted.

Current Status of Russian Animation Industry and its Outlook

Current Status of Russian Animation Industry and its Outlook

Look out Mickey Mouse, the Russian Smeshariki are going to Market

The case describes the popular Russian children's animated TV series named the Smeshariki, its parent company (Marmelad), the domestic animation industry, and the principal international rivals and their respective animated products and/or services. The series' success led to the organic growth of vertically and horizontally related business units. Marmelad's business units' scope included producing more than 200, six and one-half minute episodes of the Smeshariki, branded children's products (e.g. educational games), granting licenses to manufacturers, establishing a network of kindergartens, and licensing the Smeshariki animated series to exhibitors in international markets. Key issues the company faces include: brand management for the Smeshariki and Marmelad, domestic and international competition in the Russian animation industry, and the need for professional management. The case provides instructors with a range of options including a holistic marketing case, or one that concentrates on focused marketing issues (i.e. all or parts of the marketing mix, brand architecture, brand equity and brand management).