Soviet Icon Cheburashka to Appear in New Movie

Soviet film lovers rejoice!

None other than the iconic Cheburashka will return to the big screen in 2022.

Produced by the famous Soyuzmultfilm, the new movie will be a collaboration between Russian independent studio YBA and Disney, with production set to begin in 2021.

Cheburashka made his on-screen debut in a 1969 film by Soviet animator Roman Kachanov, instantly becoming a hit across the nation. The cuddly mouse-like character continued to make appearances on Russian television throughout the years, even becoming the mascot of the Russian Olympic teams in the 2000s.

The cartoon follows the life of the strange, unknown creature as he is accidentally transported halfway across the world to the Soviet Union, where he meets and befriends the crocodile Gena.

Together, they go on adventures and make friends. But not all of the cartoon's plot is so wholesome and child-oriented.

The films also offer a sly social commentary on the Pioneer Movement, a communist children's camp in the U.S.S.R. Because Cheburashka and Gena are rejected by the Pioneers, the underlying theme of feeling like an outsider is apparent throughout the cartoon.

Regardless, Cheburashka gains the love and friendship of those around him, perhaps because he is too cute to resist.