"Welcome" or "No trespassing"

Here's an old classic. Released in mid-60s, in the middle of the Khrushchev's Thaw, the film quickly became popular with both kids and adults. For kids it was just a fun movie, and for adults it was a very fitting allegory for the post-Stalinist era.

If you are not familiar with Russian history, especially the 60's, there are two background facts that you should know before you watch the film. First I already mentioned -- the 60's was one of the few times in the history of the USSR when openly questioning the party politics was permitted (within limits, of course). The movie portrays young camp counsellors going against the authoritarian (if ridiculous) figure of the camp director -- something that would have definitely not been allowed just a decade earlier.

The second was Khrushchev's obsession with growing corn, "just like in America" -- despite the fact that this particular crop was very poorly suited for the Russian climate. Corn, the "queen of the fields," was promoted to the point of absurdity, and often to the detriment of sane and reasonable agricultural practices. After a number of years of this circus, it became obvious to people that corn is just not something that makes sense to grow in Russia -- and Khrushchev's corn-mania was beginning to be quietly ridiculed. The program was scrapped without fanfare in the late 60's.

But, above all, this is just a cute and funny movie. I remember watching it lots in the summer time -- when I wasn't in camps myself. :)

Here's a quick excerpt:



Original title: Добро пожаловать, или Посторонним Вход Воспрещен
English title: Welcome, or No Trespassing
Studio: Mosfilm
Download media: arjlover.net
Download subtitles: mricon.com

Wings, legs, and tails

A quickie "abstract" cartoon. Enjoy!

Here's a full version with subtitles:



Original title: Крылья, ноги и хвост
English title: Wings, legs and tails
Studio: Ekran Art Co-op
Download media: arjlover.net
Download subtitles: mricon.com

Cheburashka

The second cartoon in the series. Enjoy!



Original title: Чебурашка
English title: Cheburashka
Studio: Soyuzmultfilm
Download media: arjlover.net
Download subtitles: mricon.com

Crocodile Gena

My first fansub was of Crocodile Gena. Enjoy!

A side-note on the name "Cheburashka" -- which is totally impossible to translate, especially in subtitles. To "cheburakhnutsa" means to fall down, in a very colloquial language. So, the salesman calls him a "cheburashka" because he keeps falling down. I tried to work it into the translation several times, but then just gave up. :/

Edited: I finally found a solution that I'm fairly happy with, all things considered. The salesman now says "You chubby rascal!" which, I believe, is as close as one can get to taking care of "Cheburashka" without requiring a footnote.



Original title: Крокодил Гена
English title: Crocodile Gena
Studio: Soyuzmultfilm
Download media: arjlover.net
Download subtitles: mricon.com

How to watch videos with subtitles

1. Download the original media.
   
   1. The best way to download from ArjLover is to use bittorrent.
   2. If you've never used bittorrent, then please research the topic online using Google.
      
2. Download the subtitle file.
3. Place the subtitle file in the same directory as the media file.
4. Use a player like vlc to play the media. It should automatically find and include subtitles.

How a baby lion and a tortoise sang a song

A sickeningly cute cartoon about a Tortoise and a Baby Lion. Watch out, that song will get stuck in your head! :)

This is a full version with subtitles:



Original title: Как львенок и черепаха пели песню
English title: How a baby lion and a tortoise sang a song
Studio: Soyuzmultfilm
Download media: arjlover.net
Download subtitles: mricon.com