{"id":14836,"date":"2021-11-30T17:44:14","date_gmt":"2021-11-30T17:44:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=14836"},"modified":"2021-11-30T17:46:46","modified_gmt":"2021-11-30T17:46:46","slug":"the-unforgettable-soviet-new-year-cartoon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/the-unforgettable-soviet-new-year-cartoon\/","title":{"rendered":"The Unforgettable Soviet New Year Cartoon"},"content":{"rendered":"

December has finally arrived! The holiday season is upon us! It\u2019s as if our ancient ancestors who invented the winter holidays knew that we needed a bit of an emotional boost at the beginning of the winter season, and especially after the dreary, cold, wet hell that November brings us (is it me or is the most depressing time in anyone\u2019s life a dark, gray Sunday evening in November?). In the United States, after Thanksgiving we get into the holiday season, which really was the inspiration for me for this post. I usually switch on the 1964 TV special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer<\/em> on the very evening of Thanksgiving, which is enough to transport me to holiday land.<\/p>\n

As you might remember from my post back in September, in Russia there is a calendar understanding of the seasons. Therefore, winter officially begins on December 1. On this day you will start to see \u0438\u043b\u043b\u044e\u043c\u0438\u043d\u0430\u0301<\/strong>\u0446\u0438\u044f<\/strong> the holiday lights<\/em> being hung around the city. On the \u0444\u043e\u043d\u0430\u0440\u0438<\/span>\u0301 <\/span><\/strong>light poles<\/em>, in the \u0432\u0438\u0442\u0440\u0438\u0301<\/strong>\u043d\u044b<\/strong> storefronts, in the \u0442\u043e\u0440\u0433\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u0432\u044b\u0435 <\/strong>\u0446\u0435\u0301<\/strong>\u043d\u0442\u0440\u044b <\/strong>sh<\/em><\/span>opping malls<\/em><\/span>, out come the \u0433\u0438\u0440\u043b\u044f<\/strong><\/span>\u0301<\/strong>\u0434\u043d<\/strong><\/span>\u0430<\/strong> garland<\/em>, \u0451\u043b\u043a\u0438<\/strong> Christmas\/New Year trees<\/em>, and, just like our Santa Claus, \u0414\u0435\u0434 <\/strong>\u041c\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u0437<\/strong> Grandfather Frost<\/em><\/span> along with his faithful granddaughter \u0421\u043d\u0435\u0433\u0443\u0301<\/strong>\u0440\u043e\u0447\u043a\u0430<\/strong> Snegurochka (<\/em><\/span>a.k.a. The Snow Maiden)<\/span><\/em> make an appearance.<\/p>\n

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\u0424\u043e\u0442\u043e \u0430\u0432\u0442\u043e\u0440\u0430 Alexandr Podvalny: Pexels<\/p><\/div>\n

Anyway, now that we are imagining the lights, colors, presents, and excitement, I would like to turn back to the theme of holiday movies, and more specifically, what is known in Russian as \u043c\u0443\u043b\u044c\u0442\u0438\u043f\u043b\u0438\u043a\u0430\u0446\u0438\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u043d\u043d\u044b\u0435 <\/strong>\u0444\u0438\u0301<\/strong>\u043b\u044c\u043c\u044b<\/strong>, or, for short \u043c\u0443\u043b\u044c\u0442\u0444\u0438\u0301<\/strong>\u043b\u044c\u043c\u044b<\/strong> (or, even shorter, \u043c\u0443\u0301<\/strong>\u043b\u044c\u0442\u0438\u043a\u0438<\/strong>) animated films\/cartoons<\/em>. In Russia, a classic of Soviet animation, and inevitably connected with the New Year holiday is a work of \u043f\u043b\u0430\u0441\u0442\u0438\u043b\u0438\u0301<\/strong>\u043d\u043e\u0432\u0430\u044f<\/strong> \u043c\u0443\u043b\u044c\u0442\u0438\u043f\u043b\u0438\u043a\u0430\u0301<\/strong>\u0446\u0438\u044f<\/strong>, what we would call \u201cclay animation,\u201d usually in common parlance shortened to \u201cclaymation.\u201d When you reach for something in the fridge, but your mother swats away your hand, saying \u041d\u0435 <\/strong>\u0442\u0440\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u0433\u0430\u0439! <\/strong>\u042d\u0301<\/strong>\u0442\u043e <\/strong>\u043d\u0430 <\/strong>\u041d\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u0432\u044b\u0439 <\/strong>\u0433\u043e\u0434!<\/strong> Don\u2019t you touch that! It\u2019s for New Years!<\/em> you can pout, stomp into the living room, plop yourself in front of the TV and turn on the 1983 animated film \u00ab<\/strong>\u041f\u0430\u0301<\/strong>\u0434\u0430\u043b <\/strong>\u043f\u0440\u043e\u0448\u043b\u043e\u0433\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u0434\u043d\u0438\u0439 <\/strong>\u0441\u043d\u0435\u0433\u00bb <\/strong>Last Year\u2019s Snow Was Falling<\/em><\/span><\/b>.<\/p>\n

In this whimsical children\u2019s short animation, we are plopped into a different reality, one of absurd humor and amazing metamorphoses. The soundtrack swings back and forth between a twangy but bittersweet theme, a disco-y sax tune, and a whacky cacophony of bird-like sounds that ultimately form a melody with the bustle and ruckus of a wild goose chase. The music is not the only unstable element in this \u043f\u043b\u0430\u0441\u0442\u0438\u043b\u0438\u0301<\/strong>\u043d\u043e\u0432\u0430\u044f <\/strong>\u043c\u0435\u0301<\/strong>\u0441\u0442\u043d\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044c<\/strong> clayey locale<\/em>: in one scene, a horse gets stuck in deep snow, with only its tail sticking out. In what turns into a very brief reenactment of the Russian children\u2019s tale \u0420\u0435\u0301<\/strong>\u043f\u043a\u0430<\/strong> (usually translated as \u201cThe Gigantic Turnip\u201d) it is indeed a \u0440\u0435\u0301<\/strong>\u043f\u043a\u0430<\/strong> that is retrieved from the snow. But where did the horse go? Did anyone care to begin with?<\/p>\n

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An extremely brief re-enactment of the Russian tale \u0420\u0435\u043f\u043a\u0430<\/p><\/div>\n

The narrator is also a bit scatterbrained; he will go off on tangents, forget his place, stop a storyline short and promise to tell the rest later. He doesn\u2019t even afford us a proper introduction to the main character for a good five or so minutes into the cartoon:<\/p>\n

\u0416\u0438\u043b \u0434\u0430 \u0431\u044b\u043b \u043e\u0440\u0451\u043b-\u043c\u0443\u0436\u0447\u0438\u0301\u043d\u0430. \u041f\u0440\u0430\u0301\u0432\u0434\u0430, \u043e\u043d \u043d\u0435 \u0432\u044b\u0433\u043e\u0432\u0430\u0301\u0440\u0438\u0432\u0430\u043b \u043d\u0435\u0301\u043a\u043e\u0442\u043e\u0440\u044b\u0435 \u0431\u0443\u0301\u043a\u0432\u044b \u0438 \u0446\u0438\u0301\u0444\u0440\u044b. \u0418 \u0440\u0430\u0431\u043e\u0301\u0442\u043d\u0438\u0447\u0435\u043a \u0431\u044b\u043b. \u041d\u043e \u0437\u0430\u0442\u043e\u0301 \u0431\u043e\u0301\u043b\u044c\u0448\u043e\u0439 \u043e\u043d \u0431\u044b\u043b \u043b\u044e\u0431\u0438\u0301\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c \u043f\u043e\u0431\u0435\u0437\u0434\u0435\u0301\u043b\u044c\u043d\u0438\u0447\u0430\u0442\u044c. \u0425\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0448\u043e\u0301, \u0447\u0442\u043e \u0436\u0435\u043d\u0430\u0301 \u043f\u043e\u043f\u0430\u0301\u043b\u0430\u0441\u044c \u0441\u0442\u0440\u043e\u0301\u0433\u0430\u044f \u0438 \u0430\u0432\u0442\u043e\u0440\u0438\u0442\u0435\u0301\u0442\u043d\u0430\u044f.<\/strong>1<\/a><\/sup>Once there lived an eagle of a man. Well, he got a bit tongue-tied on a few letters or numbers. He was a worker. But he was also a big fan of doing nothing. Good thing he had a strict and authoritative wife.<\/span><\/p>\n

The wife, wielding her rolling pin, sends the man out to look for a New Year tree. He seems to at least want to please her wishes, as he examines different objects (not necessarily trees) and shouts \u041c\u0430\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0430\u0301<\/strong>\u0442\u043e <\/strong>\u0431\u0443\u0301<\/strong>\u0434\u0435\u0442!<\/strong> It\u2019ll be too small!<\/em><\/p>\n

In addition to the \u0440\u0435\u0301<\/strong>\u043f\u043a\u0430<\/strong>, other features from Russian folklore make an appearance. There is the legendary \u0438\u0437\u0431\u0443\u0301<\/strong>\u0448\u043a\u0430 <\/strong>\u043d\u0430 <\/strong>\u043a\u0443\u0301<\/strong>\u0440\u044c\u0438\u0445 <\/strong>\u043d\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u0436\u043a\u0430\u0445<\/strong> the house on hen\u2019s legs<\/em>, the famed residence of \u0411\u0430\u0301<\/strong>\u0431\u0430-<\/strong>\u044f\u0433\u0430\u0301<\/strong> Baba Yaga<\/em>. And let\u2019s not forget the seemingly omnipresent \u0449\u0443\u0301<\/strong>\u043a\u0430<\/strong> pike (fish)<\/em>, who makes an appearance in various bodies of water: he shows up in a \u043f\u0440\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u0440\u0443\u0431\u044c<\/strong> a<\/em><\/span> hole in the ice<\/em>, \u043a\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u0434\u0435\u0446<\/strong> a well<\/em>, and even in a \u0432\u0435\u0434\u0440\u043e\u0301<\/strong> a bucket<\/em>.<\/p>\n

I invite you to watch this cartoon yourself on YouTube. It is available through the link below. This video is quite useful because there are subtitles available in both English and Russian. Let me know what you think in the comments!<\/p>\n

https:\/\/youtu.be\/DwJznO6SqyM\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n