The Soviets, the Architect and Walt Disney

The making and impact of 'Tsar Durandai'

A still from Tsar Durandai (1934)

Welcome back! This Thursday issue of the Animation Obsessive newsletter is all about the Soviet cartoon Tsar Durandai (1934) — and its spread abroad.

You might have seen its name mentioned in our newsletter before. Tsar Durandai was, in the words of director John Hubley (Rooty Toot Toot), a “big influence on us guys who later became UPA.”¹ It was shown at Walt Disney’s studio a few times in the ‘30s, not long before the strike and mass defection.

But what was the film? How was it made? How did it reach Disney? And why was it so different from the Disney style of animation?

That’s what we’re exploring today. Here we go!