Boris Stepantsev

Animated Soviet Propaganda

A landmark four disc Box Set - Unearthed from Moscow's legendary Soyuzmultfilm Studios, the 41 films in ANIMATED SOVIET PROPAGANDA span sixty years of Soviet history (1924 - 1984), and have never been available before in the U.S.

The Tale of the Silly Baby Mouse

The film is made after the same named poem by Samuil Marshak. Mother mouse tries to find a nanny for her little mouse who can't sleep at night.The same poem was famously animated ( and orchestrated!) by Mikhail Tsekhanovsky with music of Dmitri Shostakovic

Tsocotukha the Fly

The fly, flying over the field, found a coin. Pleased with this fact, she went to the bazaar to buy a samovar and invite her friends to celebrate her birthday. But then a misfortune came - a spider burst into the festival and stole our fly. None of the guests decided to join the spider in a duel, except for a small, but brave gnat. Fortunately, everything worked out, and fly and gnat made a harmonious pair.

Tsocotukha the Fly

The fly, flying over the field, found a coin. Pleased with this fact, she went to the bazaar to buy a samovar and invite her friends to celebrate her birthday. But then a misfortune came - a spider burst into the festival and stole our fly. None of the guests decided to join the spider in a duel, except for a small, but brave gnat. Fortunately, everything worked out, and fly and gnat made a harmonious pair.

The Travels of Chichikov: Manilov

Short Soviet puppet animation based on Gogol's novel Dead Souls.

The Travels of Chichikov: Manilov

Short Soviet puppet animation based on Gogol's novel Dead Souls.

Nutcracker

A young chambermaid finds a neglected nutcracker under a Christmas tree. It comes to life, but the Nutcracker is really an enchanted prince.

Nutcracker

A young chambermaid finds a neglected nutcracker under a Christmas tree. It comes to life, but the Nutcracker is really an enchanted prince.

The Pioneer's Violin

Subtle coloring and an impressionistic approach to landscape distinguish this patriotic animated short set to music. After a flourishing Soviet hamlet is destroyed by Nazi planes, the sole survivor is confronted by a hulking Nazi commando in a tank. The military man tries to cajole the young violinist into repeating a jaunty harmonica melody at gunpoint but the boy strikes up a noble song of resistance instead. Stepantsev's film may romance the idea of martyrdom but it does so with a gravity not often found in similar films.

Heart

About the causes of heart disease and the prevention of these dangerous diseases.

Heart

About the causes of heart disease and the prevention of these dangerous diseases.

Junior and Karlson

A Soviet cult cartoon, so untypical for a Western viewer, especially, a little one. A boy named Malysh ("A Little One") suffers from solitude being the youngest of the three children in a Swedish family. The acute sense of solitude makes him desperately want a dog, but before he gets one, he "invents" a friend - the very Karlson who lives upon the roof. So typical for the Russian culture spirit of mischief, which is, actually, never punished, and the notion that relative welfare not necessarily means happiness made the book by Astrid Lindgren and its TV adaptations tremendously popular in the Soviet Union and nowadays Russia and vice versa - somewhat alienated to the Western reader and viewer (see User's comments below). However, both the book and the cartoon are truly universal - entertaining and funny for the children and thought-provoking and somewhat sad for grownups.

Song of a Falcon

A paint-on-glass animated film (one of the first of its kind) about a dying falcon and a stupid snake.

Song of a Falcon

A paint-on-glass animated film (one of the first of its kind) about a dying falcon and a stupid snake.

Vovka in the Kingdom of Far Far Away

A schoolboy gets into a fairy tale with the help of a librarian and DIY book. But life in the magical land is not as easy as it seems.

Rooster and Paint

The painted rooster gets acquainted with the inhabitants of the barnyard and learns about the world.

Petia and Little Red Riding Hood

A boy finds his way into the Little Red Riding Hood cartoon in order to save the girl from the Big Bad Wolf.

Again, Deuce

Murzilka sets forth for the known picture of Fyodor Pavlovich Reshetnikov "Again two". A boy considers that two on geography was put him unfairly. Murzilka examines him. Outliving the row of adventures, a student gives one's word to reform.

Adventures of Murzilka

The fabulous journalist Murzilka, while on vacation, receives a telegram from the magazine's editor-in-chief in which Murzilka is instructed to make a photo portrait of a good boy or child inventor for the cover of the new issue.

Zlodeyka s nakleykoy

The authors of the animated film devoted it to the eternal theme - the dangers of drunkenness. The main anti-hero is a half-liter bottle that creates trouble everywhere and brings evil to everyone who seeks a meeting with it. The plot in the style of silent films is accompanied by music and interspersed with propaganda rhymes.

On the Forest Stage

The animated film was created based on the fables of Sergey Mikhalkov "Cautious birds" and "Hare in the hops." Drake with his assistants arranges a performance on the forest stage for animals. He tells fables about forest dwellers from the stage.

On the Forest Stage

The animated film was created based on the fables of Sergey Mikhalkov "Cautious birds" and "Hare in the hops." Drake with his assistants arranges a performance on the forest stage for animals. He tells fables about forest dwellers from the stage.

A Goat-Musician

The film makes fun of incompetent hack composers who replace real creativity with an unabashed compilation. The goat-composer completes work on a new work, the theme of which is suggested by the Donkey and the Ram. The author's concert of the composer is preceded by the performance of the Gray Wolf-musicologist. He admires the creation of the venerable Goat-fool. But when the animal orchestra performs a slightly modified song "Once upon a time there was a gray goat fool", the audience begins to leave their seats…

The Signature Is Illegible

Mole, director of an egg incubator, hires Rat as an employee, who soon begins to steal and muddy the waters. A social satire about poorly-managed organizations, based on caricatures by Boris Yefimov.

Geese-Swans

With a help of good nature a young brave girl goes to the dark forest for saving her youngest brother abducted by Baba Yaga.

The Lion and the Hare

The action of the animation film takes place in an oasis. Beasts (a Hare, a Monkey, a cub of a Zebra) look at the well, discover that the water reflects them. The Monkey nearly dies, trying to quarrel with her reflection. Meanwhile, a Lion goes hunting, catches up and kills an adult Zebra. The animals consoled the orphaned cub of Zebra. The Lion, on the advice of the Snake, orders that the beasts themselves later come to him for dinner.

Polcan and Shavka

Two dogs, Polkan and Shavka, watched a flock of sheep by the river. Suddenly, they notice a hare, chase after him and run into the forest, where they meet face-to-face with three wolves. Shavka, chickening out, backs away, and the brave Polkan takes the fight. In a fierce fight, he manages to defeat one wolf, but from wounds he loses consciousness.

Little Gray Neck

Defending a friend, duckling is attacked by fox and must learn to survive.

Travel to the Land of the Giants

Animated figures of a mantel clock - the boy Tock and his sister Tick set off to travel through the pages of the book “Travel to the Land of the Giants”. There they learn about the great construction projects of the Soviet Union and get acquainted with production processes.