This student project, done for Advanced class “Russian through Films” is based on the assignment where students were invited to be film critics. Children's cartoons are an invaluable source of cultural analysis and drip with a heavy cultural subtext while many of them based on eponymous children's books. The influence of Disney and its characters on the Russian animation is huge an indisputable: American cartoons, like American culture in general, in many ways shape tastes of Russian youth. However, Russians' cultural perception of American reality that takes place in a cartoon world has continuously being reshaped. Quite often Russian cartoonists suggest grown-ups a few hints of hidden meanings and tongue-in-cheek phrases whereas their American counterparts create silly, innocent, very cheerful and funny characters.
Imagine that you are on a Russian Animation Festival Grand Jury. You consider five cartoons to decide which one is the best and should be awarded. Write a short cartoon review to explain your decision. Make sure that your summary makes sense to a reader who didn’t watch these cartoons. A good review must contain your opinion about all of the animations on short list.