Figure 1. A still from Norstein’s The Tale of Tales, where women dancing with their husbands all the sudden appear alone.
Animation, a powerful storytelling medium, has been breaking down complex ideas in a visually engaging way for over a century. For children, animated characters, exaggerated actions, and approachable storylines become an introduction to emotional, social, and political themes. As we age, it remains a form of escape, helping us process reality while staying entertained. Through its unique ability to blend art and narrative, animation has become a significant tool for both entertainment and societal commentary, as seen in Soviet surrealist animation.
Surrealism, an early 20th-century artistic movement, explored repressed emotions and unconscious thoughts through fragmented narratives, dreamlike sequences, and symbolic imagery.[1] Although often linked to Western European figures like Salvador Dalí and Luis Buñuel, Soviet animators developed a distinctive, introspective approach rooted in cultural memory. Working under an authoritarian regime after World War II, these artists had to be subtle in their critiques. Instead of making overt political statements, they used surrealism to reflect on trauma, memory, and existential uncertainty. Animators such as Andrei Khrzhanovsky created poetic fantasies, while Fyodor Khitruk found absurdity in the mundane. Soviet surrealist animation embraced nuance, using haunting imagery and folklore to navigate censorship and explore psychological and political complexities.[2]
One Soviet animator who exemplifies this style successfully is Yuriy Norstein. Born and raised in Russia, Norstein attended one of the most respected film schools in the country—All-Russian State University of Cinematography (VGIK). Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, he worked under prominent animators like Yuri Dubov and Iosif Kharitonov, who influenced his artistic style. Visually, Norstein’s style is distinct. Blending 2D and 3D techniques, he layers painted cutouts on glass to create depth and movement, giving his films a textured, dreamlike quality. Additionally, his use of stop-motion, chiaroscuro lighting, and atmospheric transitions effectively enhances the visual language of mood, memory, and obscurity, as seen particularly in Hedgehog in the Fog and Tale of Tales.[3]
One of Norstein’s first successful films, Hedgehog in the Fog (1975) (Ёжик в тумане), tells the story of a hedgehog who gets lost in thick fog while trying to meet his Bear Cub friend. Normally comfortable in his routine, he suddenly faces the unknown, suggesting deeper themes of fear, curiosity, and the unfamiliar. Although aimed at children, the film presents themes and visuals more suited to adults. The stop-motion cutouts, painterly textures, and dreamlike lighting transform the forest into a psychological landscape. The dense fog, eerie sounds, and fleeting animal encounters create a surreal, unpredictable atmosphere. The muted colors and slow pacing reflect the hedgehog’s confrontation with change and uncertainty.
Beneath its surface, Hedgehog in the Fog can also be seen as a fear under control or surveillance. Many Soviet animated films explored identity and the fragility of perception without directly mentioning politics. Norstein’s surrealism becomes a quiet form of resistance, allowing emotional and existential expression in a censored environment. The film’s exploration of life’s fragility and the fleeting nature of experience adds depth, encouraging viewers to reflect on life’s uncertainties.
Norstein’s next success, The Tale of Tales (1979) (Сказка сказок), is regarded as one of the greatest animated films of all time. It weaves fragmented memories of post-war life, exploring themes of loss, nostalgia, and dislocation. The nonlinearity of the story mimics how memory operates—scattered, emotional, and often contradictory. Scenes of couples dancing, children eating apples, and soldiers leaving for war appear and vanish like dreams, while softened edges, desaturated colors, and hazy transitions deepen the film’s melancholic tone. The central figure, a wolf, observes these fleeting moments of joy, sorrow, and trauma, much like a surrealist flâneur—caught between observer and participant. His quiet presence echoes the Soviet experience, caught between restraint and hope. Both Hedgehog in the Fog and The Tale of Tales offer a visual poetry that mirrors the instability of life, where emotions and experiences cannot always be neatly categorized.
At its core, Soviet surrealist animation allowed artists to process the harsh realities of life under an oppressive system. Through innovative symbolism and visual techniques, these films addressed themes of war, loss, censorship, identity, and uncertainty. For some viewers, they offered comfort, while for others, their critiques were unsettling in how closely they mirrored real life. Soviet surrealist animation became a powerful space for truth-telling, where artists challenged the status quo and explored complex lived experiences under strict political control. The legacy of this movement continues in the work of contemporary artists in post-Soviet countries, and these films highlight the enduring power of animation to process, critique, and understand the world around us.
Bibliography
Breton, André. Manifesto of Surrealism. Translated by Richard Seaver and Helen R. Lane. Ann Arbor:
University of Michigan Press, 1969.
Cross, Ian. “Music, Memory and Narrative: The Art of Telling in Tale of Tales.” Animation 17, no. 1 (2022): 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1177/17468477221114596.
Fishzon, Anna. “The Fog of Stagnation: Explorations of Time and Affect in Late Soviet Animation.” Modern Russian Studies, April 6, 2025. https://journals.openedition.org/monderusse/8203.
Image Citation:
Norstein, Yuri. 1979. The Tale of Tales. https://www.gw2ru.com/arts/1888-yuri-norstein-tale-tales.
[1] André Breton, Manifesto of Surrealism, trans. Richard Seaver and Helen R. Lane (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1969), 1-2.
[2] Anna Fishzon, “The Fog of Stagnation: Explorations of Time and Affect in Late Soviet Animation,” Modern Russian Studies, April 6, 2025, https://journals.openedition.org/monderusse/8203.
[3] Ian Cross, “Music, Memory and Narrative: The Art of Telling in Tale of Tales,” Animation 17, no. 1 (2022): 1-15, https://doi.org/10.1177/17468477221114596.
Jodi Kolpakov is a St. Louis-based visual communicator and educator specializing in design, illustration, and visual storytelling. As an Assistant Professor at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, she teaches courses in graphic design, animation, 3D modeling, and game art. Her creative work, inspired by rural Midwest culture, combines bold colors, layered textures, and dark humor to explore social and political themes and nostalgia. Her research examines comfort in different environments through AR, VR, and 3D modeling through cultural exchange. An active exhibitor, she has shown work locally and beyond, earning recognitions from AIGA St. Louis, 3×3 Magazine, ICON, and Communication Arts.