+19: Animating in Mongolia

How animation has battled to survive in the Land of the Eternal Blue Sky.

A still from Year 12

Happy Thursday! Welcome to another issue of the Animation Obsessive newsletter.

If you’re a regular reader, you’re at least a little familiar with animation from countries beyond America and Japan — say, Russia or China. But what about Mongolia?

Animation in Mongolia has fought the odds for around five decades, since the days when Mongolians lived under communist rule and Soviet influence. The country’s most respected and outspoken animator, Myagmar Sodnompil,¹ learned from Russian masters in Moscow. Alongside his films, he’s famous for his eccentric taste in hats.

In this issue, we’re looking at Myagmar’s career — and at the currents in Mongolian animation both before and after his best-known work. You’ll be able to watch the films along the way, but this isn’t just a story about cartoons. It’s also about politics and culture, and the simple act of perseverance.