Nikitich and The Dragon (2006)

Admirable film.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

the characters, the story, the animation. parts from the tradition of a great artistic school. interesting, seductive, amusing and a form of propaganda which, in East, reminds interesting images about childhood of few generations. inspiration's source - tradition. in new clothes, using inspired forms of humor, using the words about bogatyrs for create for each of them a new life. Dobrynya Nikitich is the same like in legends. but the Zmey becomes more ...seductive. wise, powerful, victim of a kind of crisis, it seems be one of the bad characters from American child films who discover his noble heart. and the old war has new dimensions. more than nice, an useful film. about an old world. in new splendid colors.

Sure the ending is on the predictable side, but other than that Dobrynya Nikitich I Zmey Gorynych is really splendid. The animation is beautifully crafted, the drawing was clearly done with care and the colours and backgrounds has a look that is not too simple and not too flashy. The music has a great deal of charm and excitement, perfect for conveying both fantasy and adventure and distinctively Russian. What there is of the dancing on screen is fluidly done and very authentic. Also much to like is the wonderfully ironic humour and the witty visual jokes, the dialogue is humorous and doesn't resort to being undeveloped or distasteful. Of course the story is not much new, but the humour helps to make it fresh, it is well-paced and it is a charming story that has touches of irony as well as that Russian fairy-tale feel at its most classic. The characters are very engaging and bring the story forward, not feeling superfluous to it in any way. The voice acting is very good, noble with a touch of theatricality(though not in overload). All in all, a splendid Russian animated film and well worth looking out for. 9/10 Bethany Cox

its virtue - nothing new. the characters, the events, the adventures, animation and the end are same. but film remains fresh. not only for nationalist drops or for beauty princess but for the ideal art of Russian art in this industry. sure,word of bogatyrs is large. but the mixture of irony, childhood memories and lines of classic fairy tale are pieces of expected success. the old recipes is strict used. and the flavor of warm space, nice and protective is remarkable. a form of propaganda ? of course ! but , in same time, proof of courage. because tradition is root of a touching animation. and the story is created as lovely gift for each age. trip in the rooms of childhood, it is a lesson about national values. and a great work.

This is not a typical Russian fairytale but quite the opposite. I see some of the characters in the story which behave not exactly like people would expect if they know a bit from the Russian folklore. There are a lot funny stuff which does not end with just simple visual jokes but extend to quite good sense of humor. However many people might not understand what is so funny in many of the scenes because they are not familiar with the Russian fairy tales. I recommend people to watch this movie with the original sound and voice acting because the story and the graphic are good but what really made the movie for me are actors that gave their voices to make this beautiful piece of work. I've noticed that many good movies with good voice acting will lose their charm if the voice is not the original. The music is also very good and it fits and completes the movie really well. After i watched the movie i felt like there could have been made more in between some of the scenes. That is why i gave 9 instead of 10. There are a few minor problems which i do not feel the need to tell you because the movie is too good in my eyes especially compare to the most animes which come in a very nice outfit(usually brilliant grapfic) but really poor story lines(sometimes very often even really twisted for my taste)which makes most of those movies one time show.