Junior and Karlson

1968 0h 18m RU

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 112

AdventureAnimationFamily

Synopsis

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A Soviet cult cartoon, so untypical for a Western viewer, especially, a little one. A boy named Malysh ("A Little One") suffers from solitude being the youngest of the three children in a Swedish family. The acute sense of solitude makes him desperately want a dog, but before he gets one, he "invents" a friend - the very Karlson who lives upon the roof. So typical for the Russian culture spirit of mischief, which is, actually, never punished, and the notion that relative welfare not necessarily means happiness made the book by Astrid Lindgren and its TV adaptations tremendously popular in the Soviet Union and nowadays Russia and vice versa - somewhat alienated to the Western reader and viewer (see User's comments below). However, both the book and the cartoon are truly universal - entertaining and funny for the children and thought-provoking and somewhat sad for grownups.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Vasiliy Livanov
Karlson (voice)
Klara Rumyanova
Junior [Malysh] (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Boris Stepantsev
Writers: Boris Larin, Astrid Lindgren
Languages: Russian
Countries: Soviet Union

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 18-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

58 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Karlson Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Boris Stepantsev, shot by Mikhail Druyan. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Vasiliy Livanov and Klara Rumyanova carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0756316 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Boris Stepantsev directs. Mikhail Druyan behind the camera. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Soviet Union. Dialogue in Russian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 18-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
258 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "Karlson Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Boris Stepantsev, shot by Mikhail Druyan. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Vasiliy Livanov and Klara Rumyanova carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0756316 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.