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Poster artwork for the animated adventure comedy film Alyosha
Popovich and Tugarin Zmej.
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Beauty
and the Bogatyr by Linh
Alyosha
Popovich and Tugarin Zmej - Alyosha Popovich and Dragon Tugarin is
based on the Russian folklore featuring the heroic exploits of the quick-witted
knight (bogatyr) named Alyosha Popovich who uses trickery and tactics to defeat
his foes. However, the animated film has given the story a twist with Alyosha
as a dim-witted but charismatic warrior who sets out to retrieve the gold which
a clan of Mongols have stolen from his town. He is joined by his Grandfather,
his childhood sweetheart and her Grandma and donkey, plus a smart and fast
talking horse.
In the original story, Alyosha beheads the Dragon Tugarin
(depicted as a Mongol Khan in the animated film) and sticks Tugarin's head on a
stake. The producers have given Alyosha
Popovich and Tugarin Zmej - Alyosha Popovich and Dragon Tugarin a more
family- friendly story with a Disney-esque look of brightly coloured images,
likeable characters, inoffensive humour and light-hearted practical jokes.
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INTREPID
TRAVELLERS: Alyosha Popovich, Moses, Grandpa Tikhon,
Lyubava, Grandma Marudna and Donkey go in search for their stolen gold in the
film Alyosha Popovich and Tugarin Zmej -
Alyosha Popovich and Dragon Tugarin. Image: Kinokompaniya CTB, Melnitsa
Animation Studio.
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It's easy to see the similarities between Alyosha Popovich and Tugarin Zmej - Alyosha
Popovich and Dragon Tugarin and the Shrek
films, yet the style of the animation sets the two apart. In Alyosha Popovich and Tugarin Zmej - Alyosha
Popovich and Dragon Tugarin the
hand-drawn and hand-painted sketches are like illustrations from a children's
storybook. The characters are charming and their quirkiness adds to the story-
telling and overall appeal of the film. The film has a running voice narration
which becomes a pleasant surprise in the end when the narrator is revealed.
Alyosha Popovich is the son of a priest who develops
Herculean strengths despite his haplessness and gullibility. He is a handsome
young man with a love of athletics and a heart of gold. His neighbour Lyubava has been fond of him
since childhood, but Alyosha was always distracted with athletic pursuits to
notice her. This leads to some tension and laughs when Lyubava joins him on his
quest to recover the town's stolen gold.
Lyubava is a beautiful teenager and a little naive as she
was always molly-coddled by her Grandma Marudna from an early age. Despite her
innocence, Lyubava knows what she wants but sulks if she cannot have it. She
loudly laments of becoming an "old maid at the age of sixteen" if Alyosha won't marry her.
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WHOOPS! :
Grandpa Tikhon, Grandma Marudna, Moses, Alyosha and Lyubava watch in horror as
their gigantic ball of gold rolls towards their town in the film Alyosha Popovich and Tugarin Zmej - Alyosha
Popovich and Dragon Tugarin. Image: Kinokompaniya CTB, Melnitsa Animation
Studio.
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The comic relief in the film is Moses the talking,
singing, dancing and irritating horse whose catch cry "Don't make my horse
shoes laugh! " becomes tiring - until he loses his horse shoes to a
talking tree. Very much like Eddie Murphy's Donkey in the Shrek films, Moses is equally cheeky, manipulative and quick to
defend/help his friends on the journey. The supporting characters are fun to
watch as they bring some comedy, warmth and imagination to the film's simple
plot.
Alyosha
Popovich and Tugarin Zmej - Alyosha Popovich and Dragon Tugarin is
a joyfully entertaining adventure for everyone, with a hero who meets his match
in love (with Lyubava) and war (against Tugarin).
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BATTLING
THE BEAST: Alyosha attempts to stop The Mongol Khan from
killing Moses in the film Alyosha
Popovich and Tugarin Zmej - Alyosha Popovich and Dragon Tugarin. Image:
Kinokompaniya CTB, Melnitsa Animation Studio.
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Director: Konstantin
Bronzit
Writers:
Aleksandr Boyarskiy, Konstantin Bronzit, Ilya Maksimov, Maksim Sveshnikov
Cast:
Anatoly Petrov, Natalya Danilova, Mikhail Chernyak, Lya Medvedeva, Oleg
Kulikovich, Dmitry Vysotsky, Sergey Makovetsky
Producers:
Aleksandr Boyarskiy, Sergei Selyanov
Original
Music: Valentin Vasenkov
Language:
Russian, English dubbed
Running
Time:1 hour and 12 minutes
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