MOSCOW (AP) – A proverbial Russian bear has long alarmed Westerners as the symbol of Moscow’s might and purported ferocity. But the Russian who has taken the world by storm is a sweet goof who hasn’t fired a single shot.
Masha and the Bear, a Russian animated television series launched in 2009, now broadcasts in more than 120 countries including the United States. Its YouTube channel is in the top 10 most-viewed worldwide. While Russia’s mammoth oil and gas industries grunt under the weight of low energy prices, the cartoon’s producer Animaccord has a steady 40 percent annual revenue increase.
The cartoon, loosely based on a Russian fairy tale, centers on the mischievous and minuscule girl Masha and the towering Bear, a retired circus performer who falls victim to the green-eyed sprite’s pranks. The cartoon is set in an idealized countryside, loaded with traditional bric-a-brac.
Their real home is a former Soviet kindergarten in Moscow’s northern outskirts. There, more than 70 animators each produce 2 to 4 seconds of screen time a day.
It’s slow work due to the highly detailed images, unusual for television series. The images have a convincing 3-D effect, move fluidly and are so precise that viewers can count Masha’s tiny teeth. That costs money as well as time – up to $250,000 per six-minute episode.