The classic Soviet animated series “Well, Wait!” almost everyone who grew up in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) knows. In 2021, the Russian studio “Soyuzmultfilm”, which created the original story about the wolf and the hare, launched the modernization of the cartoon. The first seven-minute episode caused a strong reaction from fans of classic Soviet animation.
The Wolf and the Hare has previously returned in series produced by Soyuzmultfilm, but all of them repeated the original animation and copied characters invented by the studio’s cartoonists back in 1969. On the other hand, the 2021 animation series “Nu, Pagaidi! Holidays” (Russian: “Ну, погоди! Каникулы”), although released under the same name, looks completely different. The chairman of the board of the studio Juliana Shleščeva explained to the media “Fontanka” why.
“In order to resume work on the project after more than 50 years, the production team had to look for analogues of the characters in the modern world. If in the past the wolf chased the hare to eat it, then in today’s reality, given the current restrictions on children’s content, this is not possible. Now we have another leading plot: the Wolf and the Hare compete for the attention of a young doe, Uli. We have the same pursuit, but in the “boys” competition,” says Sleshcheva.
She points out that the response from the children has been positive. However, the attitude of adults who grew up with the classic “Well, Wait!” is completely different.
They don’t want to admit that we are now people from other planets. That children’s perception of the world is completely different than 50, 30, 20 years ago,
explains Shlescheva.
One of the biggest complaints from viewers is the Wolf and Hare’s new look, which is drastically different from the original. The chairman of “Soyuzmultfilm” explains that the changes were introduced due to the updating of images:
“Visually the Hare really looks more elongated; the picture is closer to the proportions of a real teenager. In the cartoon, he is 10 to 12 years old. He is older than in the classic film, taller and with longer ears. Important point: With a 3D model, it is much easier to create a life-size model of a doll or toy. Most of the characters in today’s animated films are created with the expectation that there will be toys and other three-dimensional forms.”
According to several Russian media, the video of the first episode on the YouTube platform had more “dislikes” than “likes”, but at the moment it is no longer possible to see this number.
On the TikTok platform, under a video comparing the appearance of the Wolf and the Hare “then and now”, young people who grew up with the cartoon also express their dismay at the new arrangement.
“Nūgis Haķis and the teenage emo Wolf”, “Childhood memories – ruined”, “What happened???” are just some of the comments.
However, it cannot be claimed that the modernization of the cartoon has not brought success – in 2022 “Wait! Holidays” entered the top ten of the highest-grossing films in Bulgaria, collecting more than 91 thousand euros.
photo" style="background:#c5c7c9;top:auto"/>Animated series “Well, Wait! Holidays”. Photo: www.film.ru
2023-06-04 04:23:27
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