And the story of this cartoon began in a pioneer camp, where the then young Eduard Uspensky worked as a librarian. There were not enough interesting books for all the children, and in order to entertain the kids, the novice writer began to invent, as it were, an evening fairy tale - the adventures of the inhabitants of the village of Prostokvashino: the glorious Uncle Fyodor, the devoted and honest Sharik, the amazingly smart, slightly ironic cat Matroskin and the old postman Pechkin.
Interestingly, at the beginning, Uncle Fyodor Uspensky introduced the children as a forester living in the village, but on the advice of Boris Zakhoder he changed him to a boy, the same age as potential readers.
Storyboard for the cartoon "Three from Prostokvashino":
The book was first published in 1973. Not without problems. The editors really did not like the ambiguous phrases for which we now love this cartoon. A year later, the story was filmed - a three-episode cartoon "Uncle Fyodor, a dog and a cat" was released on the creative association "Ekran". But this cartoon was not successful (to be honest, I learned about it not so long ago, about 7-8 years ago).
Storyboard for the cartoon "Three from Prostokvashino":
Well, after 4 years they decided to reshoot the story. Eduard Uspensky rewrote the script. As a result, it did not include many moments from the story. But perhaps this is for the best. After all, the popularity of the new cartoon surpassed the book hundreds of times.
The director of the "restart" was Vladimir Popov. He divided the work on creating images of heroes between two production designers. Levon Khachatryan worked on the images of the postman Pechkin, Father and Mother of Uncle Fyodor and Uncle Fyodor himself.
Nikolai Yerykalov worked on images of animals: the cat Matroskin, the dog Sharik, the cow Murka and her calf Gavryusha.
Preliminary sketch for the cartoon "Three from Prostokvashino". Collection of the Museum of Cinema:
Erykalov was not given the image of Galchonok for a long time - the bird turned out to be faceless, not the same as the director imagined it. Putting the human characters aside, Khachatryan joined the work on the feathered one - but also without success. In the end, it came to the point that everyone who went into the artist's room at Soyuzmultfilm was asked to draw Galchonok. Leonid Shvartsman, the creator of Cheburashka, also had a hand in its creation. As a result, friendship blinded the bird: Galchonok's appearance absorbed elements drawn by the best animators of the USSR.
Not everything was easy with human heroes either. Levon Khachatryan, without thinking twice, copied Uncle Fyodor's mother from his wife, actress Larisa Myasnikova. “Petite, short hair, glasses. Popov made his corrections... Points. On my sketch, they were round, which my wife wears, but Popov thought that square ones were better, ”Khachatryan later wrote. Rumor has it that the artist's wife was indignant - they say that she was depicted in a cartoon as some kind of nervous and harmful, but she is not at all like that. It was the shape of the glasses that saved Khachatryan from the wrath of his wife: “I would never wear such glasses. I hope everyone understands this and no one will associate this mother of yours with me, ”Myasnikova relented.
Sher A.S. Sketch for the film "Winter in Prostokvashino". Collection of the Museum of Cinema:
But Uncle Fyodor caused the greatest conflict. The director was dissatisfied with the image of the boy proposed by the artist.
Preliminary sketches for the cartoon "Three from Prostokvashino". Collection of the Museum of Cinema:
As a result, Popov brought his sketch himself. And in the end, Khachatryan painted him swirling, ruddy, with a potato nose.
However, while working on the next series - "Holidays in Prostokvashino" - a new artist, Arkady Sher, came to the project, who was allowed by Vladimir Popov to redraw the characters. The changes affected everyone, but Uncle Fyodor got the most: the blush practically disappeared from his face, his nose shrank and became sharper, instead of a messy “whirlwind” haircut, a piled bouffant formed on his head.
Frame from the cartoon "Three from Prostokvashino":
Such “face changes” deeply offended Levon Khachatryan. The artist quarreled with the director and left the project: the third series, "Winter in Prostokvashino", was drawn without him. And poor Uncle Fyodor changed for her again: he acquired redness at the tip of his nose, full lips and a completely indistinct haircut. “If you put Uncle Fedorov from all three series side by side, it turns out that these are completely different boys! I don’t understand this,” Khachatryan lamented disappointedly.
The mother of Uncle Fedor also got it.
But most of all, the cartoon brought disappointment to Anatoly Taraskin, an employee of the Wick film magazine. At one time he was close friends with the author of stories about Uncle Fyodor Uspensky. The writer did not hide the fact that he partly wrote off the cat from a friend - from his character, his habits ... And initially Matroskin was supposed to be called Taraskin. But Taraskin-man opposed: “I don’t want to be some kind of book cat. If you offered me to perpetuate myself in a more famous character - I would still think ... "
As a result, Uspensky, sending the work to print, was forced to replace Taraskin's cat with Matroskin's cat. The book was not widely successful, but after the release of the cartoon, the name "Matroskin" was recognized by the whole country. “What a fool I was! Surname regretted to give! So at least he would go down in history, ”according to Eduard Uspensky, Taraskin was worried.
In many ways, the success of sour milk is due to the artists who voiced them. The line-up was really first-class - Lev Durov "in the role" of Sharik, Boris Novikov - the postman Pechkin, Maria Vinogradova - Uncle Fedor, Valentina Talyzina - his mother. And, of course, a generous portion of first-class charm was brought to the cartoon by Oleg Tabakov, who voiced Matroskin. Who still mentions that decades have passed, and cat intonations still slip through his voice, and he can’t do without quotes: “And I also know how to embroider ... And on a typewriter too!”
The cartoon has become extremely popular. In 1980, the continuation of the cartoon appeared on the screens - "Vacation in Prostokvashino". The third part - "Winter in Prostokvashino" - appeared in 1984. Not many people know that there is also a fourth part - "Spring in Prostokvashino", filmed in our time, but this is not at all the same.
"Three from Prostokvashino" (1978) - an animated film, the first of the "Three from Prostokvashino" series (continuations - the cartoons "Vacation in Prostokvashino" and "Winter in Prostokvashino"). Created based on the story of Eduard Uspensky "Uncle Fyodor, the dog and the cat."
Creators:
Director - Vladimir Popov
Screenwriter - Eduard Uspensky
Production Designers - Nikolai Yerykalov, Levon Khachatryan
Animation artists - Marina Voskanyants, Marina Rogova, Sergey Marakasov, Elvira Maslova, D.Anpilov, Galina Zebrova, Renata Mirenkova
Operator - Kabul Rasulov
Director - Lyubov Butyrina
Composer - Evgeny Krylatov
Sound engineer - Boris Filchikov
Editor - Raisa Frichinskaya
Roles were voiced by Lev Durov (Sharik), Valentina Talyzina (mother), Boris Novikov (postman Pechkin), Maria Vinogradova (Uncle Fyodor), German Kachin (dad), Oleg Tabakov (cat Matroskin)
Editor - Natalia Stepantseva
At the request of director Vladimir Popov, the work on creating screen images was divided between production designers. Levon Khachatryan worked on the images of the postman Pechkin, Father and Mother of Uncle Fyodor, and Uncle Fyodor himself. Nikolay Erykalov worked on images of animals: the cat Matroskin, Sharik, Murka (Cow), Gavryusha. The image of Galchonok did not work out for a long time, so everyone who went into the artist's room at Soyuzmultfilm was asked to draw Galchonok. L. Shvartsman, the creator of Cheburashka, even had a hand in its creation.
Levon Khachatryan copied Uncle Fyodor's mother from his wife, Larisa Myasnikova. “Petite, short hair, glasses. Popov made his own corrections ... Glasses, on my sketch they were round, which my wife wears, but Popov thought that square ones were better. (from the notes of Levon Khachatryan).
Before Prostokvashino, Nikolai Yerykalov and Levon Khachatryan had already worked together on the cartoon Bobik Visiting Barbos. An attentive viewer may notice that there is a certain similarity between the characters of these two cartoons.
The only type on which the team did not come to a unified decision is Uncle Fedor himself. Therefore, it is his on-screen image that changes the most from series to series.
Quotes:
Pechkin: And what are you carrying in the chest?
Matroskin: And we went for mushrooms, is it clear to you?
Pechkin: Of course, it is clear, why is it unclear. They would have gone with a suitcase!
Gulchonok: Who's there?
Pechkin: It's me, the postman Pechkin, brought a note about your boy
Pechkin: Now I will measure your boy.
Uncle Fyodor: I'm nobody's, I'm my own boy - my own, my own.
Uncle Fedor: To sell something unnecessary, you must first buy something unnecessary. And we have no money.
Mom: This picture on the wall is very useful: it blocks a hole in the wallpaper!
Matroskin: What are we all without milk and without milk? So you can die.
Ball: Meat is better to buy in the store.
Matroskin: Why is that?
Ball: There are more bones.
Pechkin: He must be taken to the clinic for experiments!
Matroskin: Think! I can also embroider, and on a typewriter - too ...
Uncle Fedor writes a letter to mom and dad:
- My dad and mom! I live well, just wonderful. I have everything, I have my own house, it is warm. It has one room and a kitchen. I miss you very much, especially in the evenings. And my health is not very good. It breaks the paws, then the tail falls off. And the other day I started shedding. Old wool is shedding off me, even though you don’t go into the house. But the new one grows clean, silky, so my shaggyness has increased. Goodbye, your son, Uncle Sharik.
Three from Prostokvashino and other adventures of Uncle Fyodor
It all started with the fact that the children's writer Eduard Uspensky wrote the book Uncle Fyodor, the Dog and the Cat. Everyone remembers the boy, who was nicknamed Uncle Fyodor for his adulthood. Charming cat Matroskin, captivating with his worldly wisdom and special stripes. The rustic Sharik and the postman Pechkin in a shaggy hat with earflaps. All this company lives in the bosom of nature, in an ecologically clean place called Prostokvashino. He is engaged in photography, expanding the farm - he gets a Murka cow and a borsche-loving tractor, quarrels, hides from his parents and idles with inspiration.
Much of the literary source was not included in the cartoon. But the popularity of the film adaptation is hundreds of times greater than the popularity of the book. The first series, which was called "Three from Prostokvashino" was released in 1978. The “father” of all the cartoon characters was the artist Levon Khachatryan.
However, two years later, director Vladimir Popov had a conflict with the production designer. A. Sher came to the project and was allowed to redraw the characters. Heroes, as they say, have changed in the face. Uncle Fyodor especially got it. However, the next two series were met with a bang. Both Vacation in Prostokvashino and Winter in Prostokvashino remain among the most popular Soviet cartoons to this day.
In many ways, the success of cartoon characters is due to the artists who voiced them. The line-up was really first-class - Lev Durov "in the role" of Sharik, Boris Novikov - the postman Pechkin, Maria Vinogradova - Uncle Fedor, Valentina Talyzina - his mother. And, of course, a generous portion of first-class charm was brought to the cartoon by Oleg Tabakov, who voiced Matroskin. Who still mentions that decades have passed, and cat intonations still slip through his voice, and he can’t do without quotes: “And I also know how to embroider with a cross .... And on a typewriter too!”
Cat Matroskin under his strict guidance turned out to be unforgettable. Center, inspirer and leader of a small universe. And by whom, by whom, but you can’t call Matroskin a fairy-tale character. He is practical, thrifty, he will not go into his pocket for a word and will not disappear under any circumstances. Gives out aphorisms to the mountain and leaves the rest of the characters in the shadow of his self-esteem. In a word, an immortal character. By the way, the cat was originally supposed to be named Taraskin - in honor of Anatoly Taraskin, an employee of the Wick film magazine. But he was utterly modest. And, of course, he soon regretted it very much.
A series of cartoons about Prostokvashino really gained enviable popularity. Even the free virtual encyclopedia Wikipedia has a completely scientific article about this settlement. For example, Wikipedia provides the following data in the “demography” column: “The local population is represented by the cat Matroskin, the dog Sharik, the postman Pechkin, Galchonok, Cow Murka and the calf Gavryusha. There are hares and birds in the surrounding forests, and beavers and fish in the rivers. On weekends and holidays, as well as during school holidays, the population increases significantly due to urban relatives - Uncle Fyodor, his father and mother.
The large virtual encyclopedia also highlights the means of communication: “The central television channels are caught in the village, there are no telephones. Communication is carried out by the Prostokvashinsky post office through the exchange of letters, telegrams, parcels and parcels. Between the city and the countryside, there is another type of mail that has no analogues in the real world - live talking mail in the form of a checkbox placed in a parcel. Wikipedia in every possible way demonstrates the seriousness of the study and downright Dyadefyodorov's efficiency. Otherwise, it is impossible. Writers, and especially a children's writer, must treat the flight of creative thought responsibly and with knowledge of the matter.
"Three from Prostokvashino" (1978)
The first film in a trilogy about a city boy nicknamed Uncle Fyodor, a homeless cat Matroskin, the dog Sharik and others who, for various reasons, began to live in the village of Prostokvashino.
"Holidays in Prostokvashino" (1980)
Uncle Fyodor decided to spend his summer holidays not in Sochi, but in the village of Prostokvashino together with his friends - the cat Matroskin and the dog Sharik. Matroskin does not get enough of his cow Murka and the abundance of milk, as well as from the birth of the calf Gavryusha. And Sharik, in turn, selflessly became interested in photo-hunting.
"Winter in Prostokvashino" (1984)
Sharik and Matroskin quarreled. They stopped talking to each other, they live like a cat with a dog. And all because Sharik bought fashionable sneakers instead of boots, thus making a hole in Matroskin's budget. Communication is helped by the postman Pechkin, who sends telegrams from one end of the hut to the other. It is not known how it all would have ended if Uncle Fyodor and dad had not arrived in Prostokvashino on New Year's Eve (without mom, because mom should sing at the New Year's Blue Light). Their old "Zaporozhets" got stuck in the snow, and all the inhabitants of the house in Prostokvashino had to pull the car out of the snow in the manner of sled dogs. In the process of pulling Sharik and Matroskin reconciled. And it would be possible to celebrate the New Year, but the TV, the main decoration of the table, does not work, and therefore Pechkin decided to celebrate the New Year at home. However, dad persuaded him to stay and promised that the TV would be fixed. The TV has been repaired, and it should soon show my mother's performance. But here an unpleasant thing turns out: the sound on the TV does not work. The frustrated heroes are watching their mother's silent performance, and suddenly they hear singing, but not from the TV, but from behind. It turns out that the concert was recorded on video, and my mother herself reached Prostokvashino on skis.
IN August 2009 began work on the continuation of the animated trilogy Troy from Prostokvashino.
"The script, as it was before, is based on the story of the children's writer Eduard Uspensky, with whom we are currently working together. We have retained the previous location, left familiar characters, and also introduced new characters into the cartoon. This, for example, is the sister of Uncle Fyodor's parents - retired Colonel Tamara Lomovaya-Bambina. This lady said goodbye to the army and came to Prostokvashino not only to relax, but also to seriously engage in the education of the main character, "said director Elena Barinova.
She owns the idea to make a sequel to the film. "Prostokvashino" she considers one of the best stories.
“I tried to find all the animators who worked on the picture. And Elvira Kotova, who painted Matroskin, supervises, checks how the animators work,” says Barinova. “I was very interested in preserving the special spirit that, as I was told, was in the studio Popov".
The spirit of Elena Barinova's workshop is student's. Her students - students and yesterday's graduates of VGIK - work under the guidance of luminaries of animation. The artist Olga Bogolyubova is one of them. By the way, it was she who illustrated all the latest books about Prostokvashine, taking over from Arkady Sher.
"The task is to make the characters recognizable. It's hard to get rid of your handwriting, but you need the characters to be themselves," says Bogolyubova.
Over the years, the characters in the film have not changed much. Uncle Fyodor became even more independent, Matroskin - even more homely. By the way, Oleg Tabakov will voice the cat, as in the old days. Lev Durov also happily agreed to meet again with his hero Sharik. Uncle Fyodor will speak in the voice of Olga Shorokhova (before that, she voiced the jackdaw). And Alexander Pankratov-Cherny, who looks like him, will even take care of the postman Pechkin.
Cartoonist is an artist working in the world of animated films. He creates drawings of key moments in the movement of characters and determines the intermediate phases on the exposure sheet. Animation (lat. Multiplicatio- multiplication) is the creation and multiple multiplication of a large number of frames with a small shift of elements in each subsequent frame. With a high-speed demonstration of these frames, a cartoon is obtained. An animator is a broader concept than a modern animator, who is only concerned with bringing characters to life. The profession is suitable for those who are interested in drawing and world artistic culture (see choosing a profession for interest in school subjects).
Cartoonists classified into several specializations depending on the animation technology and the scale of the project. When creating small cartoons, one artist can perform all technological tasks. Large projects require teamwork, in which each artist specializes in a particular operation on the animation objects.
The specializations of animators depend on the animation technology used:
- cartoon film;
- puppet animation;
- three-dimensional graphics.
In hand-drawn large-scale cartoons, there are many specializations in cartoon objects:
- production designer- the most important cartoon artist, who develops the overall style of the film in close cooperation with the director and manages the entire process of creating the cartoon;
- character artist creates images of cartoon characters, works on their actions and dialogues;
- background painter, or decorator, orbackground cartoonist creates a background, panorama, interior and other surroundings;
- outliner transfers the drawing from paper to film;
- phasing artist creates intermediate phases of characters' actions between drawings, taking into account the nature of their movement;
- drawing artist creates fine drawings with carefully traced details based on the image proposed by the main artist;
- special effects cartoonist recreates the necessary natural phenomena (snow, rain) and various effects assumed by the scenario.
Features of the profession
Modern computer programs greatly simplify the process of creating cartoons:
3ds Max (3d Studio Max)
- Maya;
- Cinema 4D;
- LightWave;
- Softimage XSI;
- blender;
But there are certain types of creative work that computer programs cannot do. At the preparatory stage, the animator:
- creates concepts and sketches of characters and scenery;
- selects artists of different specializations together with the director;
- organizes, distributes work among all specialists and supervises the work of artists in creating characters and backgrounds for the cartoon.
- At the stage of the production stage, the animator:
- organizes the processes of creating characters and backgrounds, drawing, filling;
- is engaged in the study of movements, facial expressions, storyboarding and coloring;
- animate key and intermediate phases;
- takes part in the creation of final layouts.
Not an artist - a special kind of person,
and each person is a special kind of artist.
Pros and cons of the profession
pros
- interesting creative work
- opportunity to realize talent
- high wages in large projects
- demand for the profession
- calm environment.
Minuses
- some tasks may seem monotonous and monotonous;
- sedentary work.
Place of work
Animation studios, film studios, television, advertising agencies, web design studios, computer game companies.
Important qualities
- spatial imagination and thinking;
- understanding of the principles of dynamics and movement;
- deep observation;
- good eye;
- the gift of a cartoonist, the ability to capture the essence of character;
- artistic taste;
- sense of style;
- acting skills;
- responsibility;
- positive attitude towards life;
- purposefulness, obsession;
- patience, work capacity;
- Ability to communicate with technical staff.
Training for an animator (education)
(In person, Moscow)
The school-studio "SHAR" is a unique educational institution that has received recognition in everything
world, one of the oldest and most respected studios in Russia for the production
author's animation. The school was founded over 20 years ago by the legendary
director-animators Fyodor Khitruk, Eduard Nazarov, Yuri
Norstein, Andrey Khrzhanovsky.
The main activities of the Studio School are:
Professional training of animation film directors and animators;
- production of animated films.
universities
B&D - recruits on . The program is aimed at developing the basic professional skills, knowledge and skills of an artist/designer in the book, game and animation industries, who is able to solve conceptual visualization problems. A profile graduate will be able to work as an animator, illustrator, motion designer. The main objective of the course is to give the future specialist knowledge in the field of illustration and animation, to teach how to create unique images with the inherent features of the author's style and "revive" them. 3 minutes walk from Prospekt Mira metro station.
Salary
The salary of an animator depends on his qualifications, the region of work, the specifics and size of the studio.
Career steps and prospects
The career of an animator can develop in the direction of mastering related specialties. In the vertical direction of career growth, the animator can become a project manager who oversees the work of the entire team of specialists. Growth to the owner or director of an animation studio is possible.
The nomination "Best Animated Feature Film" in the US National Academy Awards "Oscar" was established in 2001. Animated shorts have been awarded Oscars since 1932. The first feature-length cartoon to win an Oscar is Shrek.
Eduard Uspensky's story "Uncle Fyodor, the Dog and the Cat" was published in 1973, and 5 years later, the famous cartoon was shot on it, which has long become a classic of Soviet animation and has not lost popularity with either children or parents for 40 years. But even the most dedicated fans are hardly aware that some characters had real prototypes, and the characters themselves initially looked completely different, and their appearance underwent significant changes from series to series...
This story began in a pioneer camp, where at that time Eduard Uspensky worked as a librarian. There were not enough good children's books in his library, and the aspiring writer began to invent stories about the adventures of the inhabitants of the village of Prostokvashino. This is how Uncle Fyodor, the cat Matroskin, Sharik and the postman Pechkin were born. Initially, Uncle Fyodor was an adult forester living in a fairy-tale village, but on the advice of the writer Boris Zakhoder, Uspensky made him a 6-year-old boy - just like his potential readers. " And I rewrote the whole book. Therefore, Uncle Fyodor turned out to be so mature", - said Uspensky.
In fact, Uspensky's book was filmed for the first time back in 1975. However, the three-part cartoon "Uncle Fyodor, Dog and Cat" was not successful. After 3 years, they decided to reshoot it, for which Eduard Uspensky had to rewrite the script. However, the result justified all the efforts spent - "Three from Prostokvashino" enjoyed incredible popularity, hundreds of times more than the book.
Two production designers worked on the new cartoon: Levon Khachatryan created the images of the postman Pechkin, Uncle Fyodor and his parents, and Nikolai Yerykalov was the creator of the cat Matroskin, Sharik, the cow Murka and the calf Gavryusha. The most difficult thing was to work on the image of Galchonok - the bird did not turn out the way the director wanted to see it. As a result, several animators had to work on it at once.
Some characters had real prototypes. For example, Levon Khachatryan drew the appearance of Uncle Fyodor's mother from his wife, actress Larisa Myasnikova. " Petite, short hair, glasses. Popov made his corrections... Points. On my sketch, they were round, which my wife wears, but Popov thought that square ones were better.", - said Khachatryan. Larisa Myasnikova was not happy with the result - the heroine written off from her looked too capricious and nervous on the screen. However, the very shape of the glasses made her change her anger to mercy: “ I wouldn't wear these for anything. I hope everyone understands this, and no one will associate this mother of yours with me.».
The image of Uncle Fyodor became the subject of heated debate - the director was not satisfied with the end result. While working on the next series - "Holidays in Prostokvashino" - another animator, Arkady Sher, joined the work. He changed the appearance of almost all the characters, but the most noticeable transformation occurred with Uncle Fedor. Because of this, Levon Khachatryan quarreled with the director and then left the project. In the creation of the third series - "Winter in Prostokvashino" - he no longer took part. Meanwhile, Uncle Fyodor has changed beyond recognition. " If you put Uncle Fedorov from all three series side by side, it turns out that these are completely different boys! I don't understand this”, Levon Khachatryan lamented.
Not only Uncle Fyodor's mother had her own prototype, but also the cat Matroskin - however, this concerns a book, not a cartoon character, and to a greater extent his character, and not his appearance. Eduard Uspensky "written off" the cat from his friend Anatoly Taraskin, an employee of the satirical film magazine "Wick". From him, the cat Matroskin inherited prudence, thoroughness, practicality, rationalism, thriftiness, and at the same time his last name - after all, in the original version he was the cat Taraskin.
However, the prototype rebelled against the excessive caricature of the image: “ Are you crazy! Do you want to ridicule me all over Moscow? I don't want to be some book cat. If you suggested that I immortalize myself in a more famous character, I would still think ...". Taraskin could not even imagine how popular the character written off from him would become. According to Ouspensky, he later regretted his decision and said: " What a fool I was! Surname regretted to give! So at least he would go down in history". But among the audience, Matroskin is more associated with the actor who gave him his voice - the brilliant Oleg Tabakov.
At the request of the script department, many lines of the characters had to be rewritten. Eduard Uspensky said that initially the cat Matroskin, pacing from corner to corner “like a political prisoner”, had to say: “ They built socialism in the yard, and we have one pair of felt boots for everyone, like under tsarism". But in the final version, this phrase sounds more “politically correct”: “ In the courtyard of the end of the twentieth century, and we have one pair of boots for all, as in the time of Tsar Pea».
Many texts of the children's writer were subjected to censorship: .
Eduard Uspensky's story "Uncle Fyodor, the Dog and the Cat" was published in 1973, and 5 years later, the famous cartoon was shot on it, which has long become a classic of Soviet animation and has not lost popularity with either children or parents for 40 years. But even the most dedicated fans are hardly aware that some characters had real prototypes, and the characters themselves initially looked completely different, and their appearance underwent significant changes from series to series...
This story began in a pioneer camp, where at that time Eduard Uspensky worked as a librarian. There were not enough good children's books in his library, and the aspiring writer began to invent stories about the adventures of the inhabitants of the village of Prostokvashino. This is how Uncle Fyodor, the cat Matroskin, Sharik and the postman Pechkin were born. Initially, Uncle Fyodor was an adult forester living in a fairy-tale village, but on the advice of the writer Boris Zakhoder, Uspensky made him a 6-year-old boy - the same as his potential readers. “And I rewrote the whole book. Therefore, Uncle Fedor turned out to be so mature, ”said Uspensky.
Preliminary sketch for the cartoon *Three from Prostokvashino*
In fact, Uspensky's book was filmed for the first time back in 1975. However, the three-part cartoon "Uncle Fyodor, Dog and Cat" was not successful. After 3 years, they decided to reshoot it, for which Eduard Uspensky had to rewrite the script. However, the result justified all the efforts spent - "Three from Prostokvashino" enjoyed incredible popularity, hundreds of times more than the book.
Cat Matroskin in the first cartoon in 1975
The product of the collective creativity of animators
Two production designers worked on the new cartoon: Levon Khachatryan created the images of the postman Pechkin, Uncle Fyodor and his parents, and Nikolai Yerykalov was the creator of the cat Matroskin, Sharik, the cow Murka and the calf Gavryusha. The most difficult thing was to work on the image of Galchonok - the bird did not turn out the way the director wanted to see it. As a result, several animators had to work on it at once.
Preliminary sketch for the cartoon
Some characters had real prototypes. For example, Levon Khachatryan drew the appearance of Uncle Fyodor's mother from his wife, actress Larisa Myasnikova. “Petite, short hair, glasses. Popov made his corrections... Points. On my sketch, they were round, which my wife wears, but Popov thought that square ones were better, ”said Khachatryan. Larisa Myasnikova was not happy with the result - the heroine written off from her looked too capricious and nervous on the screen. However, the very shape of the glasses made her change her anger to mercy: “I would never wear such glasses. I hope everyone understands this, and no one will associate this mother of yours with me.
This is how Uncle Fyodor's mother changed
This is how Uncle Fedor changed from series to series
The image of Uncle Fyodor became the subject of heated debate - the director was not satisfied with the end result. While working on the next series - "Vacations in Prostokvashino" - another animator, Arkady Sher, joined the work. He changed the appearance of almost all the characters, but the most noticeable transformation occurred with Uncle Fedor. Because of this, Levon Khachatryan quarreled with the director and then left the project. In the creation of the third series - "Winter in Prostokvashino" - he no longer took part. Meanwhile, Uncle Fyodor has changed beyond recognition. “If you put Uncle Fedorov from all three series side by side, it turns out that these are completely different boys! I don’t understand this,” Levon Khachatryan lamented.
Uncle Fedor on a preliminary sketch and in the cartoon *Three from Prostokvashino*, 1978
Not only Uncle Fyodor's mother had her own prototype, but also the cat Matroskin - however, this concerns a book, not a cartoon character, and to a greater extent his character, and not his appearance. Eduard Uspensky "written off" the cat from his friend Anatoly Taraskin, an employee of the satirical film magazine "Wick". From him, the cat Matroskin inherited prudence, thoroughness, practicality, rationalism, thriftiness, and at the same time his surname - after all, in the original version he was the cat Taraskin.
Anatoly Taraskin - the prototype of Matroskin's cat
However, the prototype rebelled against the excessive caricature of the image: “You are crazy! Do you want to ridicule me all over Moscow? I don't want to be some book cat. If you offered me to perpetuate myself in a more famous character, I would still think ... ". Taraskin could not even imagine how popular the character written off from him would become. According to Ouspensky, he later regretted his decision and said: “What a fool I was! Surname regretted to give! So at least it would go down in history. But among the audience, Matroskin is more associated with the actor who gave him his voice - Oleg Tabakov.
Oleg Tabakov and Cat Matroskin, to whom he gave his voice
At the request of the script department, many lines of the characters had to be rewritten. Eduard Uspensky said that initially the cat Matroskin, pacing from corner to corner "like a political prisoner", was supposed to say: "Socialism was built in the yard, and we have one pair of felt boots for everyone, like under tsarism." But in the final version, this phrase sounds more “politically correct”: “It’s the end of the 20th century, and we have one pair of felt boots for everyone, like under Tsar Peas.”
