Lev Atamanov’s THE SNOW QUEEN + THE SCARLET FLOWER + THE KEY: Treasures of Soviet Animation Vol. 2

This is the second volume in a series of new restorations of classic & rare Soviet animated gems from the vaults of the legendary Soyuzmultfilm studios, focused on Soviet-Armenian director Lev Atamanov (1905-1981). Atamanov was a brilliantly creative artist whose lyrical storytelling and stunning imagery put him on par with masters such as Walt Disney and Hayao Miyazaki, who praised THE SNOW QUEEN as “my destiny and my favorite film.”

THE SNOW QUEEN (SNEZHNAYA KOROLEVA) - 1957, 65 min. Atamanov’s sublime and terrifyingly beautiful masterpiece, based on a Hans Christian Andersen story, follows a resourceful young girl, Gerda (voiced by Yanina Zheymo), as she embarks on an epic journey to save her friend Kay (Anna Komolova) from the frozen embraces of the magnificent Snow Queen (Mariya Babanova.) “Had I not one day seen ‘The Snow Queen’ during a film screening hosted by the company labor union, I honestly doubt that I would have continued working as an animator.” – Hayao Miyazaki

THE SCARLET FLOWER (ÁLENKIY TSVETÓTCHEK) - 1952, 42 min. Dir. Lev Atamanov. An almost impossibly lovely, bejeweled fantasy adventure, a mixture of Ptushko’s THE STONE FLOWER and SADKO with Cocteau’s BEAUTY & THE BEAST. A ship’s captain promises his youngest daughter Nastenka (voiced by Nina Krachkovskaya) a scarlet flower as a gift. But when he plucks it, the enraged beast who owns it demands a sacrifice – and Nastenka offers herself up as the monster’s prisoner on an enchanted isle.

THE KEY (KLYUCH) - 1961, 58 min. Atamanov’s delightfully quirky gem is one of his most surprising efforts, a surreal parable about the benefits of Magic vs. the value of Good Hard Work. THE KEY is told in a totally different visual style than Atamanov’s lush earlier works, closer to the mid-century modern look of UPA circa “Gerald McBoing Boing” and “Mr. Magoo.”

All three films in Russian with English subtitles. Co-presented with Seagull Films.

Special Features:

• “Written With Ice Crystals: Master Soviet Animator Lev Atamanov and The Snow Queen” – new video essay by film historian Evan Chester

• “Innocence & Cynicism: The Snow Queen and Hayao Miyazaki” – new video essay by animation expert John Adkins of Animation Obsessive

• New commentary tracks by film historian Rolf Giesen

• New artwork by Beth Morris

• Blu-ray authoring by David Mackenzie of Fidelity In Motion