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As the Russian cartoon series expands its reach, its creators are concerned about maintaining the series’s high-quality animation and sophisticated storylines.
derlying humor is exclusive to Russia, which is why the adaptation for China took more than three months. In order to decrease the turnaround time in the future, Riki must decide if it should remove the multi-layered subtexts and leave only the main themes of tolerance and peace, or keep the storylines unchanged. “Parents say: ‘Children do not understand the subtext of this cartoon,’” said Nadezhda Kuznetsova, the head of Petersburg computer animation studio, which is the part of the Riki group that produces “Smeshariki.”“The series is full of allegories, background intimations.”
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On a recent visit to the Riki Production Center in St. Petersburg, a list of requirements for Chinese translators of “Smeshariki” was hanging on the wall—the hugely popular Russian cartoon is being adapted for China, where the series has been in promotion since March. China is only the latest market for “Smeshariki,” which began selling foreign distribution rights to overseas distributors in 2008; it was the first Russian cartoon bought by foreign TV broadcasters. In August, “Smeshariki” will begin broadcasting through one of the biggest international children’s channels – Nickelodeon – in the C.I.S., Central Europe and Africa. The expansion into these markets will require the Riki studio to increase its animation production from 35 minutes to 245 minutes per month in 2012. “Smeshariki” was interesting to foreign distributors because the series promotes popular ideas like tolerance and peace.The original subtexts of the series, however, are beyond the understanding of foreign audiences. “It is useless to explain to foreign channels that the series is targeted at an audience of children four to 16 and adults. They do not believe that producers can employ such complexity and depth in a children’s product. Therefore, we are positioning “Smeshariki”overseas as a product for younger schoolchildren,” said Ilya Popov, the general producer of the Riki Group. Additionally, much of the un-
“Parents say: ‘Children do not understand the subtext of this cartoon,’” said Nadezhda Kuznetsova. As “Smeshariki” expands, it faces competition not only from local products, but also from Disney. According to the instruction guide for“Smeshariki”script creators,“the cartoon should be interesting to an adult and understandable to a child.” This approach, typical of all Soviet animation, allows the cartoons to appeal to a very broad audience. The average annual rating of the cartoon on the STS channel shows that the number of viewers between 16-54 exceeds the number of six-to-15 year-olds by 100,000. This philosophy works in the Russian market, but as “Smeshariki” expands, it faces com-
petition not only from local products, but also from Disney, whose stories have universal accessibility. Even locally, “Smeshariki” is beginning to feel the heat from the competition. For all animation, some 80 percent of revenue comes from licenses — the right to put the images of the characters on products for children. Over the past three years, this market grew by 25-30 percent year on year. For “Smeshariki,” which began when there was almost no competition, the period of rapid growth is over, and its sales of product licenses is increasing by only 15 percent a year. In order to maintain its position in the market, “Smeshariki” must increase sales of licensed products 2.5 times by 2015, from the current $200 million to $500 million. Smeshariki multiplication “Reaching a wider audience is both our strength and weakness,” said Ilya Popov.“We can hold the attention of all girls and boys aged four to 15 for maybe two or three more years. Then communication channels will develop.” In response to this segmentation, Riki decided to appeal to different segments of their viewing audience through sub-brands. The “Malyshariki” project was launched for kids under three: It involves the same characters but in their early childhood. The “Malyshariki” first appeared in books, but soon the will have their own television series. In late 2011, a full-length Smeshariki movie will be released, aimed at 14 to 25 year-olds — the age of most moviegoers.
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“Smeshariki” Seeks Global Audience
In order to expand their reach, the protagonists of “Smeshariki” may have to lose their Russian-ness.
Licensed Merchandise
Animation in Russia The domestic animation industry in Russia has faced challenges because it is difficult to make money from cartoons in the country. According to Russian law, children’s programs cannot be interrupted by commercials, so the only way animation makes its way to the screen is through another law that requires channels to allocate 10 percent of their airtime for children’s shows. But since these timeslots do not generate income, it is easier and cheaper to fill them up with foreign animated series. A Russian animated movie costs around $100-150 per minute, while a Western movie typically costs $7 per minute, even including the additional expense of translation. According to the industry analysis group Movie Research, live-action series are even cheaper. Russian cartoons have only one way to a wide television audience: the top-ranked children’s program Spokoinoi Nochi, Malyshi! (Good night, kids!) which airs every evening from 8:50 to 9:00 pm, has a captive audience of 5 million view-
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ers. Because this show has a very specific timeslot of six-and-a-half minutes, domestic animation creates episodes specifically for this format, and in this instance has a competitive advantage over foreign cartoons, which are generally longer. However, the competition among brands of animation both domestic and foreign is increasing because of the potential of the Russian licensing market. According to the Licensing Industry Merchandisers Association (LIMA), licensed products account for 60 percent of sales of children’s products in the United States, 40 percent in Europe and only 15 percent in Russia. Half of the $1.5–2 billion market belongs to Disney, which is consistent with its marketshare worldwide. Eleven Disney cartoons are in the top 23 brands represented in retail chains: two of them — Disney Princesses and Winnie the Pooh — are ranked No. 1 and No. 3, respectively. “Smeshariki” takes second place, with 10 percent of the market.
Animation Classic cartoons face an uphill battle to survive in a glutted marketplace
Fading Cartoon Empire’s Lasting Legacy An iconic Russian studio, birthplace of Russia’s mostbeloved cartoon characters, celebrates its 75th birthday despite a gloomy financial forecast. LUCIA BELLINELLI SPECIAL TO RBTH
Cherished Cartoon Characters
Gena (left) and Cheburashka are icons of Soviet animation Animators work inside the Soyuzmultfilm studio.
up your sleeves and look for new and original ideas.” Over the course of its long history, Soyuzmultfilm produced many animated classics, taking their themes from Russian fairy tales or the stories of famous Western writers such as A.A. Milne and Rudyard Kipling — scrupulously adapted to fit the Soviet agenda. Indeed, many wellknown Western characters have a clandestine Russian alter-ego.
The American Winnie-the-Pooh is a cheery, gormless, upbeat fellow who likes to keep his head perpetually buried in a pot of honey. However the Russian version of Pooh (Vinni Pukh) is a chubby, dark bear who drinks from a Russian samovar and is up to no good. His adventures take place in a miniature world that recalls characters from traditional Russian tales. Similarly, the cat-and-mouse
Nu, pogodi! The cartoon resembles the adventures of Tom and Jerry, but this hard-living wolf’s bravado is somehow endearing.
Vinni Pukh The Russian Pooh is less naive and more mischievous. He eschews honey and instead drinks out of a samovar.
Cheburashka Not quite a mouse but cuter than Mickey, Cheburashka became an Olympic mascot in 2004.
The Hedgehog Internationally known animation master Yuri Norstein conjured up one of the most beloved characters of all time.
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Once upon a time there was the paper kingdom of Cheburashka and Gena. It was called Soyuzmultfilm, and the characters that have populated this kingdom since 1936 are the icons of Soviet animation. Today, this magic kingdom celebrates its 75th anniversary in the midst of a serious economic crisis. The company is suffocating under large loans and is being crushed by the competition. During the Soviet era, Soyuzmultfilm was a monopoly, a cartoon empire that produced its own animation and also reinvented many Western classics. From 1936 to 1991, the animation studio made nearly 1,500 films. During the height of production in the 1970s, the 200 artists employed by the studio created almost 30 films a year. Today, however, the studio releases no more than five. “Financing is the real problem,” said Vasily Shilnikov, director of the company, now known as the United State Film Collection.“We must understand that there are other production studios, and that the same artists also work for them. Therefore you need to roll
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adventures of Tom and Jerry provide the inspiration for the cartoon“Nu, Pogodi!”which features a battered wolf that hunts a chubby bunny with disastrous results. The cartoon’s name comes from an expression that all Russian children know, and which is roughly translated as “Well, just you wait!” But even as the artists of the 1970s looked to the West for inspiration, the studio’s real masterpieces arose from Russian folklore, such as animation master Yury Norstein’s“Hedgehog in the Fog”(1975). The story features the adventures of a hedgehog who heads out into the forest to visit his friend the bear and encounters a surreal and sometimes frightening world. Today, the studio is looking to its past successes in search of a way to achieve profitability in today’s crowded marketplace. The studio’s current project is again a story that is inspired by the West, but given a Russian twist. “We are currently working on Gofmaniada, a new film that, if all goes according to plan, should be ready by 2014,” said Shilnikov. The film is based on the stories of German writer E.T.A. Hoffman, who wrote a number of wellknown stories, including “The Nutcracker”and“The Sandman.” The movie will be produced entirely in stop-gap rather than computer animation, which is widely used in the West.
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