'Argonauts' is the third of five animated adaptations of Greek legends/myths directed by Aleksandra Snezhko-Blotskaya in the early 70s. A fine animation director and animator known for her animated adaptation of Russian folklore and fairy tales for the nearly consistently high-quality Soyuzmultfilm (incomporable when it comes to Soviet animation), all well worth seeing at least once. That is including all five of her Greek legends/myths adaptations, which are respectful to the stories themselves while being exceptionally high quality on their own merits.
While not quite one of the best of the five, quality-wise they are about equal, 'Argonauts' is still a must see. A must for fans of animation and of Soviet animation. A must for those familiar with the myth and who is interested in seeing it in a non-English language if raised on the film 'Jason and the Argonauts'. A must for those not familiar with the story or the hero, but who is vaguely familiar with other mythological characters and stories and interested in learning more. Despite being in a different language, 'Argonauts' is still accessible.
Soyuzmultfilm's animations were nearly always visually striking and in some cases stylistically unique. The animation is lovely here and is as good as Snezhko-Blotskaya's 50s and 60s efforts for similar reasons, while still holding up beautifully. It is not elaborate but it is elegant and beautifully detailed while showing more ambition than Snezhko-Blotskaya's earlier work, complete with vibrant colour and fluid character designs.
Furthermore, the music has rousing moments as well as lush ones depending on the moods of each scene. It adds to the action and even enhances it in the more adventurous parts of the story. 'Argonauts' is well written, it would help if familiar with the Russian language (though that is not essential as the animation is so good at telling the story) but it flows well, is poetic as is the case with the Russian language and very pleasing to listen to.
The story is as thrilling and imaginative as it should be, treating the story and characters with respect, with plenty of recognisable parts, while with enough of its own touches to set it apart without being too much of a departure. It's still unmistakably Soyuzmultfilm, which is a good thing as they were a very versatile studio and easy to recognise from the visual styles adopted for instance. The fantasy element has a lot of charming imagination and the adventure enthralls and excites, hardly surprising seeing as Russian cinema and animation excelled at these genres individually and together frequently.
Jason is an interesting and likeable hero and the other characters are colourful too. Voice work is dynamic but not too theatrical.
Overall, wonderful. 10/10.
