Why Soviet cartoons are not for modern children, and How to choose the right ones among them

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

For most modern parents, Soviet cartoons (read cartoons from their childhood) are associated exclusively with warm memories and eternal values. Many mothers and fathers are sure that only children's cinema, originally from the USSR, is able to give children the necessary baggage of moral values and knowledge. The fruits of the labor of children's animators have long become almost an object of national pride, but do modern children need such a morality and can they generally share the delight of their parents?

Several generations grew up on old, good (it is these epithets that are usually used in their address) Soviet cartoons, parents, who absorbed, including through these works of cinema, what is good and what is bad, very often want to share a piece of their own with their children. childhood. This not only impresses (they say, “here I was brought up on them and grew up a good person and you, son, will turn on my cartoons”), but also allows myself to feel like an excellent parent. But the child for some reason does not share the delight of "Hedgehog in the Fog" and "Who Said Meow", apparently has already managed to revise modern "zombie" cartoons. Not otherwise.

But times are changing and the once, of course, ingenious and highly demanded by their generation, Soviet cartoons, somewhat do not fit into the modern rhythm of life, its decorations, manners, plots seem outdated, and the heroes - irrelevant. Therefore, you need to understand which old cartoons should be shown to modern children, and which should not. Not all of them are suitable for the young viewers of our time.

What is the main difference between modern and Soviet cartoons

Perhaps the main and most striking difference is the clear line between good and evil in Soviet cartoons. No halftones or overtones. The wolf is bad, the hare is good. And the whole plot develops between the relationship of these two characters and good always triumphs over evil, even if he has to put in a lot of effort. The latter, in fact, is the educational moment. And, despite the fact that adults are able to discern the negative in the actions of the hare, and to attribute positive qualities to the wolf, the children's psyche is not capable of such deep conclusions.

Child psychologists argue that this is a very correct position, children always identify themselves with a positive hero, and if he begins to behave without fitting into the framework of the idea of good, then nothing good will come of such viewing. For example, everyone's favorite and well-known modern cartoon "Masha and the Bear", there are no "bad" or "good" characters, but Masha, as the main character, is very impressed.

But let's be honest. Masha is just an unbearable capricious and selfish girl who decided that for some reason she has the right to poison the life of an outsider Bear and, by the way, openly prevent him from establishing his personal life, wholly claiming his attention. Considering that a small child cannot separate the private from the general, being moved by Masha's leprosy, he will perceive her behavior as normal.

This does not mean at all that it is worth excluding modern cartoons and completely switching to Soviet ones (there are also questions for them, but more on that below), it is just worth choosing the right ones. In addition, psychologists recommend watching cartoons with children in order to be able to correctly respond to a particular situation, giving their adult and authoritative assessment of what is happening on the screen. The idea, of course, is correct, but feasible only in a parallel universe. Weren't cartoons invented to relieve parents, and not vice versa?

By limiting the viewing of modern cartoons, you can inadvertently contribute to the fact that the child falls out of society, because the foundations of their subculture are largely built on the heroes. This must be understood and accepted as one of the stages of growing up. By the way, psychologists recommend showing cartoons with human characters to children from 5 years old, not earlier.

Plasticine versus computer graphics

This is perhaps the main argument of those who advocate Soviet cartoons, they say, in modern ones there is very bright animation and a variety of colors. Yes, comparing "Plasticine Crow" with modern 3D cartoons, at least not fair. But the abstract image, with which cartoons from the past abound, will also not play for the benefit of the child's psyche.

A fish with a female body, not a mermaid, but precisely this strange synthesis of a woman and a fish that invitingly sings "stay, boy with us", Moidodyr, chasing the boy around the city, a drunken wolf, uttering the legendary phrase used during feasts "Right now I will sing "… Heroes that only children can see, but they live somewhere nearby: Karlson, Kuzya, the brownie, also very tense the situation. You know, not every child wants something to start under his bed, even if it is a fairytale hero. So maybe the old cartoons seem kind only because the parents watched their children and perceived a lot precisely through the prism of the child's consciousness?

Modern technologies have not only made it possible to create cute characters that do not cause fear in children, and moreover even become their favorites, but also make the space three-dimensional. And there were enough experiments with form, color and texture with a terrible result in Soviet cinema. It is enough to remember "Wings, Legs and Tails", "Absent-minded Giovanni", "Big Secret for a Small Company" to decide that it is actually better to review cartoons on their own before showing them to your own child.

Soviet cartoons, which you should definitely introduce your child to

Being categorical on such a delicate issue as upbringing is not the best quality. It is only in Soviet cartoons that everything is extremely clear what is bad and what is good, but there is no definite answer to the question "which is better than modern or Soviet cartoons". Because both are good, because among both those and others there are enough strange heroes and creepy plots that children should not watch.

It is unlikely that modern children will unexpectedly stumble upon really good cartoons from the times of their parents in their media space, and therefore the help of their elders in this delicate issue will still be needed. So, with which Soviet cartoons, which have become classic models, is it worth introducing modern children and hoping that they will appreciate them?

"Wait for it!" - most adults still feel some excitement when they hear the melody of the intro of this legendary cartoon. It is not surprising, because Soviet children, not spoiled by YouTube, could watch cartoons at the time strictly allotted by the TV program, and therefore - if they heard a familiar melody - you need to drop everything and run to the TV.

The cartoon with a hare and a wolf in the lead role was supposed to become a cult, and he coped with his task. A substantial budget was allocated for its creation, and the task was designated as a vague "something funny". For the creation, four young and ambitious comedians were invited, who were given the task: "to adequately respond to Disney." Kurlyandsky, Hait, Kamov and Uspensky decided that it should be a chase plot. Various options were considered as the main characters, but in the end, they settled on the hare and the wolf, which are familiar to Russian folklore.

By the way, the wolf, by and large, is a collective image from folklore - a fool who digs a hole for others, but always falls into it himself. And the blue-eyed hare is the personification of intelligence, beauty, kindness, generosity and much more. By the way, the hare was not so beautiful right away. The initial images of the main characters were very in the Soviet tradition. Gennady Sokolsky, who shot the first episode, was criticized and did not continue what he had begun, modern heroes were created by Vyacheslav Kotenochkin. By the way, it was proposed to voice the wolf to Vysotsky, but since he was not pleasing to everyone, his candidacy did not pass.

"Wait for it!" - a real collection of Russian art, life and values. All episodes take place in places where Soviet families usually have fun and exist, Pugacheva, Magomayev, Sklyar, popular at that time, are heard, habits, values and much more - practically an excursion into the Soviet past. By the way, this is one of the few cartoons for which an exception was made, since it is a cultural heritage. Because of the wolf not letting out a cigarette from his mouth, the cartoon could get 18+ status and all the attendant restrictions on the display.

"Winnie the Pooh" - despite the fact that the Soviet film adaptation of the cartoon is not the first and Walt Disney has already released several episodes about a funny bear and his company, this version quite deservedly seems more impressive and interesting to many.

Fyodor Khitruk - the creator of the domestic "Winnie the Pooh", started to create a cartoon without seeing the creation of Walt Disney, created exclusively new characters according to his own concept and, I must say, they turned out to be very touching. A lot of bears and pigs were drawn before a suitable option was found. Initially, the bear was too hairy, and Piglet was too fat.

Perhaps the main thing that can be learned from this cartoon is that it is not necessary to be perfect in order for you to have friends who accept you as you are, since the bear's company is very motley.

"Kid and Carlson" - The film adaptation of the novel by the Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren was enthusiastically received, so that even the sequel "Carlson is back" was released. The third part, despite the plans, was never filmed.

By the way, this cartoon stands out among other children's cartoons of that time. There is already hidden advertising in it (on a passing bus when the Kid crosses the road), there are references to the previous creations of Soyuzmultfilm. For example, the robbers who treacherously remove the sheets from the hangers are very similar to the detectives from the cartoon about Funtik the pig, and the Kid's parents are quite typical, at least Uncle Fyodor from Prostokvashino is very similar.

The cartoon is more likely intended for parents, since it is to them that the main message is addressed - to be more attentive to their children, to treat with understanding their fears and desires, to trust them more and finally buy them a dog.

"Crocodile Gena and his friends" - perhaps one of the few Soviet works where a hero appears who was invented by animators. A creature with huge ears, kind and trusting, he finds friends and remains to live in the USSR, although according to the plot he is a tropical animal that accidentally arrived in a box with oranges.

There is also a negative character here - the old woman Shapoklyak along with the rat Lariska, the whole plot is built on the fact that it is extremely difficult for any creature, even if it is Cheburashka, to live alone, so you need to strive for society and be a good friend with all your might. It is debatable how relevant this is by modern standards, but for Soviet society it was one of the foundations.

"Three from Prostakvashino" - one of the creations in which both the cartoon and the work on the basis of which it was filmed are popular. Much of what was in the story of Eduard Uspensky was not included in the film adaptation. It's funny, but for the longest time the artists did not get the image of a dag, who, although not the main character, appears regularly and contributes to the overall impression. And the cult phrase belongs to him.

So, the daw did not work. It got to the point that the artists asked everyone who entered their room to make a sketch. So Leonid Shvartsman, the creator of the cartoon Cheburashka, had a hand in its creation. Despite the fact that Uncle Fedor is the only character who was immediately adopted and approved, it is he who changes the most from series to series.

If you move away from nostalgic attacks, you can suddenly realize that Uncle Fyodor, emphatically independent, begins to live his own life too early, and his parents, decent people, by the way, do not rush to look for the baby, but prefer to suffer for him from the apartment. Mom is especially successful, who every now and then exclaims that she worked and wants to rest and, in general, the dresses are not yet out, it seems that Uncle Fyodor is too lonely. In fact, this was a bitter reality in the Soviet past, when parents, working all day, or even in shifts, came home only in the evening, while the child was left to himself all day.

No one will argue with the fact that cinematography and in general everything that is shown on television screens is often used to manipulate and influence consciousness. Soviet animation also coped with this task, and its main goal was to cultivate worthy members of a socialist society, to develop collectivism, patriotism and responsibility, often sacrifice. Many plots of those times are simply not understandable to modern children, yes, answering their questions you can spend a lot of fun joint minutes, but is it worth it, because for them it is possible in about the same way as the myths of Ancient Greece for parents.

Claims are not only about modern or old cartoons of domestic production. Disney is even accused of racism and other disadvantages of minorities.