Grey Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood (1990) - Soyuzmultfilm

“Grey Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood“ is a Soviet musical claymation film, produced by Garri Bardin in 1990, one year before the Union dissolved. The film is emblematic of the loosening of restrictions and censors in the Soviet Union, as it is highly critical (albeit in metaphor) of the state, something that would never have been allowed before this point. It sprinkles these critiques into a well-known folk tale in order to tell a story of opening up, of the release of decades of tension, and ultimately of peace and friendship with the world. It was a smash hit on the festival circuit, and received both the Grand Prize at the Annecy Animation Film Festival (France) and the Nika Award for Best Animated Film. The 26-minute long short is full of cultural references: it features famous Soyuzmultfilm staples Cheburashka and Gena the Crocodile, as well as the Seven Dwarfs from Disney’s “Snow White“. The soundtrack is also full of adaptations of well-known songs such as “Mack the