Watch Thumbelina For Free

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

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

"Dyuymovochka" is the Soviet take on famous writer Hans Christian Anderson's Thumbelina story, also called "Dyuymovochka". This one here was directed by Leonid Amalrik and Nikolay Erdman adapted Andersen's story. The animation was solid for a 1960s film as this one is already over 50 years old, but nothing outstanding either. I have seen better, also from the Soviet Union around that time. But the way the characters were depicted graphically, also the title character, had a negative impact on my viewing experience here. i would certainly not say that this was a failure, but I do believe this was not half as good as it could have been perhaps. Also it may have been better to keep the film more essential and have it run for 20 (maybe even 15) minutes only instead of stretching it to almost half an hour. I have not read Andersen's tale, so maybe the story in general is nothing for me, but I doubt it will be worse than the way it got depicted here. Thumbs down from me. Not recommended.

Soyuzmultfilm's Thumbelina is significant for being the first animated version of the story, and to this day it's the best. From memory the 1983 anime version was very affecting, Golden Films' was very charming and one of that studio's best while Don Bluth's film is not quite as bad as it's touted to be but has things wrong with it. This version, a short film in fact, is not just beautifully done but has emotional impact too. The animation is vibrantly coloured and elegant, showing a lot of effort but not trying too hard. The music is understated and with a soft lilt with a distinctive nationalistic quality to it. The dialogue is minimal which suited the story just right, it allows the storytelling and its emotional impact to come out. When it is there it is effective in how simple it is. The story is very charming and true in spirit to the fairy-tale, and it is also very touching. Thumbelina is a protagonist you can relate to and the supporting characters are colourfully characterised. All in all, the first animated version of Thumbelina and the best one too. Not one of Soyuzmultfilm's very best like Tale of Tales, Hedgehog in the Fog, The Snow Queen and The Scarlet Flower(Russia's take on the Beauty and the Beast story), but not a disappointment either, in fact I've yet to see an animation of theirs to disappoint. 10/10 Bethany Cox

...and perhaps the best version I have seen too. It sticks to Hans Christian Andersen tale quite closely and faithfully, unlike most animated versions of faery tales, where they have to add a broadway type songs, sickening sweet sugar coating or pop culture references. Why can't some animators take a hint from Russian and former Soviet animation studios. At least they know what they are doing.Like most of Soyzmultfilm's works, the animation is very colourful and the environments are detailed, plus, there is little dialogue, but like the old saying goes: "Actions speak louder than Words".Nicely made animated short. It is worth seeing, just like most of the other nicely made works of Soyzmultfilms.