Volshebnoye zerno

Released just prior to Germany's invasion of soon-to-be-former ally, Russia, Volshebnoye Zerno (roughly The Magic Seed) (1942) seems to be the Soviet Union's answer to The Wizard of Oz crossed with The Blue Bird and it's a rather astonishing window into that particular moment in time. Co-directed by Fyodor Fillipov and Valentin Kadochnikov it is given the full treatment and includes traditional animation, stop-motion animation, and bold set and creature design that could rival Hollywood in ambition if not necessarily technical execution.

Two impoverished peasant children are gifted by a wandering pied piper/agronomist with a magic seed that when planted grows a special plant which grants wishes and brings prosperity as long as it is nurtured. Unfortunately the evil pest king is set on destroying the plant and sends his legion of weevils, rats, and other agricultural vermin (who, while cheaply costumed, are as much the stuff of nightmares as the flying monkeys that pestered Dorothy) to capture those meddling kids.

The propaganda is cleverly - and not too brazenly - inserted into this story and deciphering it that makes it a fun movie for adults as well as the young pioneers among the vast, grain producing proletariat. It's a tribute to the filmmakers that it's entertaining enough to stand in solidarity with the biggies from the west. An unexpected treat.