October 13, 2020

Cheburashka to Hit the Big Screen


Cheburashka to Hit the Big Screen
Soyuzmultfilm; YouTube user purplephoton

Cheburashka, the adorable Soviet stop-motion kid's cartoon, is set to be adapted for a full-length feature film.

Soyuzmultfilm, the company behind the original Cheburashka shorts from the 1960s, is taking the lead in the reboot, which is said to have a budget of R600 million (nearly $8 million). The film will be shot in 2021 and released the following year.

The 1960s short films, which concern the mysterious but cute Cheburashka, follow his adventures and friends, from Cheburashka's discovery in a crate of oranges, to Crocodile Gena's workday at the zoo (where he works as, of course, a crocodile). The shorts were, and still are, popular throughout the former USSR, and Cheburaska himself is a pop culture icon, although he is a "creature unknown to science."

We look forward to seeing Cheburashka's gritty origin story, revenge quest, and big-budget fight scenes in Cheburashka 2: Cheburashka's Return. While you wait, you can check out the originals that started it all.

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals
[INVALID]
[INVALID]

Some of our Books

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955