Influence of Walt Disney’s Work on Soviet Cartoons

In the mid-1930s, Walt Disney’s cartoon characters conquered screens all over the world. The Soviet Union was not spared from this fascination. Despite the fact that Soviet animation took its first steps in the mid-1920s and by the time of the Disney craze already had several successful films (e.g., “The Rink”, “The Post Office”, “Black and White”), domestic cartoonists fell under the “Disney hypnosis”. This leads to active borrowing of Disney methods, imitation of the performing manner, copying characters. At the newly established studio “Soyuzmultfilm” with the approval of high film bosses begins work on the creation of “his Soviet Mickey Mouse”. For the basis of cartoon production take the flow method – conveyor, which allows, thanks to the use of celluloid sheets instead of paper, accelerate the production of cartoons. This method of creating cartoon pictures divides artists into supporters and opponents of Disney methods. Some of the opponents are leaving the profession, believing that the conveyor belt method would turn the art of animation into a craft.

However, even uncompromising supporters of Disney animation quickly realize that direct copying of the great master’s tapes leads domestic animation to a dead end, as it becomes obvious that Disney’s tricks, techniques and images cannot be adapted to traditional stories: folk tales, fables. In addition, in the second half of the 1930s, the USSR changed its cultural policy. All this leads to the struggle against “Disney” and the search for their own unique style of Soviet animation.

The article analyses the memoirs of cartoonists N.P. Khodataev, I.P. Ivanov-Vano, A.V. Ivanov, F.S. Khitruk and others, their perception of Disney’s work, their attitude to the borrowing of the master’s creative methods, as well as the experience of creating their own works using Disney technologies.

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