Winnie-the-Pooh

This series of cartoons is loosely based on the A. A. Milne's story of Winnie-the-Pooh as brilliantly retold (rather than simply translated into Russian) by Boris Zakhoder. The scriptwriters created three 15-minute masterpieces by discarding all the boring and irrelevant characters (most notably Christopher Robin, Tigger, Kanga and Roo) and beefing them up with original graphics (sooo superior to Disney's!), wacky songs and hilarious jokes. Quotes from the Vinni Pukh cartoons and humor based on them (much of it R-rated or worse) have become deeply ingrained into the culture of Russian-speaking people - probably even more than the Star Trek's "Scotty, beam me up!" in the United States. A must-see for any foreigner who wants to socialize with Russians.

I don't mean to generalize, but if you really want to get some sense of the difference between Russian and American animation (with many many exceptions, obviously), just compare this phenomenal Vinni Pukh with the wretched Disney Winnie the Pooh. The Disney one is sentimental, pandering, unsophisticated, and dumb. Winnie himself lethargically stumbles along like a middle-aged man with a developmental disability. Vinni, however, is vigorous, adventurous, and witty. He's sly and he has attitude. He is no longer a disposable "silly old bear," he is a worthy protagonist. Pyatachok is not a pathetic, feathery-voiced ball of pink. He is vibrant and fun, and their friendship, so beautifully rendered by Milne and made sappy and idiotic by Disney, is here authentic and moving once again. Soviet animation at its best.

Put aside the character we Americans are used to and you give permission to enjoy the story. It's the classic Winnie, given a Russian sense. As usual, he lives his life to ingest as much honey as he can lay his paws on. Obviously, it is the Milne character with all the subordinating cast.

Unless you've read any of A.A. Milne's original works, then your image of Winnie the Pooh is the treacly cartoons released by Disney. But there was another set of cartoons depicting the honey-obsessed bear. This set got produced by Soyuzmultfilm, a studio in the Soviet Union, and their Pooh looks more ursine than the Disney one. The first one was "Vinni-Pukh" (the Russian pronunciation of the bear's name). In this one, Pooh wants to get some honey out of a beehive, and so he enlists Piglet's help (Piglet is called Pyatachok in Russian). Naturally there are a few snags. I particularly liked Pooh's nonsense singing. This particular cartoon doesn't include the rest of the characters. It's all about Pooh, Piglet, and the bees. Anyone interested in the history of animation can't afford to miss this short.

As much as I like the Disney version I like this version too. I like its style because it's unique. The animation has this child-like feel which really works. It looks like a kid created this whole world in school and I mean that in a good way. The characters are enjoyable to watch too. I notice they have more of a cynical yet energetic edge which I find interesting. One thing I find weird is how Christopher Robin's absent. The reason being director Fyodor Khitruk removed him because he wanted the characters to be equal and in his eyes Robin was superior to the rest. I don't know about that. Even so this's an enjoyable cartoon that captures the essence of the books and I highly recommend it.

Fun Fact: When director Fyodor Khitruk visited Disney studios the director of Pooh and the Blustery Day, Wolfgang Reitherman, told him that he liked his version better.