Dvenadtsat mesyatsev

The Twelve Months has much beauty and heart, as well as some great values. There are a few scenes in the middle that drag a little too much, but that was the only thing that stood out as something that could have been better. The traditional animation is very beautifully rendered, the colours and backgrounds are elegant, moving very smoothly from one frame/scene to the next, and the characters move very convincingly. The music accompanies the story very sensitively, the distinctive Soviet style of it is sumptuous and rousing. The Twelve Months is engagingly written and shows and teaches values like kindness and patience, great values- that were relevant then, are relevant now and always will be relevant- that are well-meant and never heavy-handed within the story. The story has a very emotional core to it, it's always told beautifully and with a lot of heart and charm, it doesn't feel too thin for the short running time, and while it has a tendency to drag at times much of it draws you in. The characters are well-drawn, are right at home in terms of placement in the storytelling, and have personalities that anybody can relate to, while the voice acting is noble, more subtle and less theatrical than some of the other Soviet films(animated and non-animated) viewed in the past two months or so. To conclude, beautiful, moving and well-meaning though with a tendency to drag. 9/10 Bethany Cox