Soyuzmultfilm

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Soyuzmultfilm
Type Corporation
Founded 1935
Headquarters Moscow, Russia
Key people Ernest Rakhimov (director)[1]
Industry Animated motion pictures
Products Animated motion pictures
Television programs
Employees 60 (as of 2005) [2]
Slogan "Советское Значит Отличное" (Soviet Means the Best)

Soyuzmultfilm (Cyrillic: Coюзмультфильм) is a Russian animation studio based in Moscow. Over the years it has gained international attention and respect, garnering numerous awards both at home and abroad. Noted for a great variety of style, it is regarded as the most influential animation studio of the former Soviet Union. The studio has produced 1524 films during its existence[3].

Contents

[edit] History

Winnie-the-Pooh by Soyuzmultfilm
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Winnie-the-Pooh by Soyuzmultfilm

The Studio was founded in 1935 under the name Soyuzdetmultfilm. Initially comprising only a few scattered workshops, Soyuzmultfilm grew quickly, soon becoming the Soviet Union's premier animation studio. At its height, the studio employed over 600 skilled labourers and released an average of 20 features each year.

The 60s, 70s and 80s saw the release of many films whose characters became an integral part of Soviet culture: Winnie-the-Pooh (Винни-Пух), Crocodile Gena (Крокодил Гена), Karlsson-on-the-Roof (Карлсон, который живёт на крыше), The Musicians of Bremen (Бременские музыканты), Three from Buttermilk Village (Трое из Простоквашино), Nu, pogodi! (Ну, погоди!), Hedgehog in the Fog (Ёжик в тумане), etc.

The variety of animation styles and the unprecedented degree of artistic freedom given to its many animators made Soyuzmultfilm perhaps the most diverse of the world's major animation studios.

Soyuzmultfilm's creativity was fueled in part by the unique conditions of the Soviet Union which made it possible for the studio to disregard the commercial appeal of its films. Because animators were paid by the Academy of Film regardless of how well or how poorly their products sold, they were free to pursue their artistic vision without giving a thought to finances.

[edit] Soyuzmultfilm today

Hedgehog in the Fog by Soyuzmultfilm
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Hedgehog in the Fog by Soyuzmultfilm

The collapse of the Soviet Union brought to a close the golden era of Soyuzmultfilm. New economic realities made it impossible for the government to support the studio any longer. Soyuzmultfilm was privatized and forced into the capitalist marketplace.

Although the studio survived, it shrank dramatically, losing nearly 90% of its staff and releasing only a few films. This was largely because of its deliberate dismantling by the new top management and the illegal selling off of the studio's assets for personal gain (see: [4] - in Russian).

[edit] Notable artists

Nu, Pogodi! by Soyuzmultfilm
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Nu, Pogodi! by Soyuzmultfilm

[edit] Animators & directors

[edit] Actors

[edit] Selected films

The Town Musicians of Bremen by Soyuzmultfilm
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The Town Musicians of Bremen by Soyuzmultfilm
Main article: Soyuzmultfilm animations

[edit] See also

The Snow Queen (1957) by Soyuzmultfilm
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The Snow Queen (1957) by Soyuzmultfilm

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../s/o/y/Soyuzmultfilm.html"