{"id":2022,"date":"2019-05-02T10:17:14","date_gmt":"2019-05-02T07:17:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/maarav.org.il\/english\/?p=2022"},"modified":"2021-05-30T12:13:04","modified_gmt":"2021-05-30T09:13:04","slug":"loneliness-pursuit-journeys-russian-animation-dina-yakerson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maarav.org.il\/english\/2019\/05\/02\/loneliness-pursuit-journeys-russian-animation-dina-yakerson\/","title":{"rendered":"Loneliness, Pursuit, and Journeys in Russian Animation \/ Dina Yakerson"},"content":{"rendered":"

translated by: Margalit Rodgers<\/em><\/p>\n

As an immigrant from the former Soviet Union, I can safely say that very few external traits connect me to the country I left in the early 1990s. However, on an invisible level, the rich Russian visual culture left an immense mark on me, and in many ways helped shape my consciousness. One of the most dominant influences were the animation films made in Russia, especially between the 1960s and 80s. Characters who symbolized the experience of loneliness and being different, such as Cheburashka, or the smoking Wolf in the Nu Pogodi!<\/em> series, and certainly the lost and pondering hedgehog in the masterpiece Hedgehog in the Fog<\/em> \u2013 were all etched in my heart and mind at a very young age. So I thought it would be interesting to revisit them as an adult, and explore the secret of their charm.<\/p>\n

These films were created after a long period in which Soviet art was in service of the state, but following Stalin\u2019s demise there was sudden artistic freedom. In the early 1960s, it was precisely the medium of animation that many artists found to be the most open, uncensored creative space. Most of these films were made at Soyuzmultfilm Studios for children, but on a tacit level, they were also created by directors-artists for adults. Thus, the 1960s-1980s in Russia became the Renaissance of animation films, and a multitude of these films were technically and artistically virtuoso, innovative and thought-provoking. It was during this period that the Iron Curtain was lifted, and traveling to and from the Soviet Union was made possible, so there was also an awareness of what was being done in the West in terms of culture and entertainment. However, Russian television still did not broadcast American shows, and therefore Soyuzmultfilm became the local Disney. Children of my generation were familiar with the Russian version of Winnie the Pooh (Vinni Pukh<\/em>), and Nu Pogodi!<\/em>, the Russian answer to Tom and Jerry<\/em>, and even Cheburashka<\/em> came to be known as the \u201cRussian Mickey Mouse\u201d. As opposed to Walt Disney films that transformed every dark fairytale by the Brothers Grimm into a sugary \u201cHollywood\u201d version with a happy ending, many of the Soviet films were subversive, free of the American political correctness, depicting profound-philosophical content, and in some cases even masking social criticism. There are innumerable fascinating examples of such films, but I shall focus on the three most familiar ones that influenced me deeply: Cheburashka<\/em>, Nu Pogodi!<\/em>, and Hedgehog in the Fog<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Cheburashka<\/em> is a miniseries created by director Roman Kachanov in 1969 after a children\u2019s story by Eduard Uspensky. The film tells the story of an undefined animal with large ears and brown fur, who falls asleep in a crate of oranges that is delivered to a toy shop in Russia, where he is given his nickname \u201cCheburashka\u201d. For a while, no one pays him any attention, and no one wants him for a toy, until one day his life completely changes when he meets Gena the Crocodile, a kindhearted crocodile who works at the zoo (as a crocodile) and plays the accordion. Cheburashka\u2019s bittersweet story is revealed in the opening song of the series: \u201cI used to be an odd toy, a toy without a name, which no one approached in the store\u2026 \/ Even on my birthday no one came\u2026 \/ But now I\u2019m Cheburashka, and every stray dog on the street holds out its paw to greet me\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

There is, of course, extensive children\u2019s literature engaging with the experience of loneliness, being different, and not belonging. Common to all of the examples is that the protagonists are different, they are outcasts. It is usually a physical difference that sets them apart from others, as a result of which they remain alone and ostracized (Cheburashka, for example, is an \u201canimal unknown to science\u201d). But ultimately, the protagonists undergo a transformation \u2013 internal or external \u2013 after which they are accepted and loved by those who had rejected them in the first place. On a simple level, the vast popularity of the Cheburashka<\/em> films can be explained by the fact that the point of departure, namely a sense of alienation and difference, strikes at the soft underbelly of children and adults alike. This is a universal experience, and, consequently, identification with Cheburashka, despite his animal features, is complete; with his somber gaze and gentle voice he brings to mind a (or every) sensitive, somewhat lost child. In Cheburashka\u2019s case, his salvation is made possible due to the compassionate gaze of another, Gena the Crocodile, who sees and accepts him. As a result of this external approval, an internal change occurs in Cheburashka that enables him to be accepted by others and to be loved.<\/p>\n

In one episode, Gena and Cheburashka encounter Young Pioneers, the Soviet equivalent of the Scouts. Seeing members of this youth movement for the first time, Cheburashka is filled with pride and yearning; they symbolize the longed-for Soviet ideal, the ultimate form of acceptance. Gena and Cheburashka really want to join the youth movement, but the Young Pioneers mock them and tell them they belong in a petting zoo instead. Later on, Cheburashka and Gena build a playground by themselves, and the Young Pioneers are forced to admit their mistake and agree to accept them into their ranks. The episode ends with Cheburashka and Gena learning the steps of the traditional march and marching side by side with the Young Pioneers. In other words, they finally belong to society, they become \u201cnormal\u201d. The Young Pioneers possibly represent the Soviet regime and society, which had so many ideals yet failed to accept anyone who was different, suppressing those who dared to think creatively or critically. Returning to the previous point, this is further evidence of the strong human urge to belong, because although Cheburashka and Gena are much more talented than the Young Pioneers, and in fact do not need them at all, they still crave their approval \u2013 an external seal of approval \u2013 in order to feel worthy, to become \u201clike everyone else\u201d.<\/p>\n