The Three Bogatyrs

"Alyosha Popovich and Tugarin Zmey (2004)" the screen version of the Russian bylina about Alesha Popovic and his enemy Tugarin the Serpent.

The Three Bogatyrs and the Shamakhan Queen or How Not to Rescue a Princess is the fourth film in the animated series and was released December 30, 2010.

The DVD was released on 17 February 2011 and during the first six weeks made 566,731,786 rubles, breaking the record for Russian animated films and earning a spot as one of the most profitable Russian films in the last 10 years.

In English-speaking countries it was distributed as "Three Bogatyrs Far Far away", which was commercially successful despite rather negative reviews.

Kolyvan and Baba Yaga plan to take over the palace of the Prince of Kiev. They succeed in their attempt with the help of a singular army—two enormous bunnies. They also create a fake source of legitimation, the doubles of the three bogatyrs, who affirm that the charlatans are the legitimate successors of the Prince. In the meantime, with the help of further magic, Baba Yaga banishes the real bogatyrs to a remote shore. The plot develops through various episodes involving the impostors with their bunnies, the Prince of Kiev with the horse Iulii, the bogatyrs’ wives with the doubles, the real bogatyrs with the indigenous people and a giant gorilla, and the appearance of some characters from the previous series—Tikhon, babka and the dragon Gorynych.

The film is perhaps most successful in presenting a straight criticism on Russian society and rulers. A satire that is undoubtedly addressed at contemporary Russia, but that has in itself recurrent traits of satirical works emerging at different times during the Russian and Soviet era: infatuation with foreign products, blind awe towards foreigners, ineptitude of the rulers to govern, corruption, unfair tax collection, high prices on produce, and swift acceptance of new impostors without any opposition. This type of satirical accent acquires even more weight when followed by shots of nationalist characters, such as the beautiful domes of the village that assume different colors from the reflection of the rising sun.

To the contrary of many contemporary foreign animated films, Three Bogatyrs relies more on traditional, drawn animation than on computer graphics. As in many animation movies made in Russia, characters and scenes are first drawn, scanned, and only then do computer animators fill in the tasks of coloring, adding backgrounds and special effects. Computers help the construction of the film and offer some special features, but the process of drawing successfully preserves the film from the cold and artificial effect that is common to pure computer animation.

Known also as "Roundabout way and new adventures of ancient Bogatyrs".

Court horse named Julius Caesar is at the hub of activity. The horse is supposed to save the grand duke of Kiev while the Bogatyrs are absent trying to catch the robber. The evil goes further eventually planning to take over not ancient Russia but over the whole world. The villain is represented by a living oak tree who gambles and outplays simpletons. The second bad guy is a robber named Potanya.