Time to read: 8 minutes(s)

Do you know what Tankha and Munha are? Have you ever met a real Bull of Cold? Animators from Yakutia decided to remind children, and adults too, of the stories behind Yakut legends and tales. And so they began creating 3D cartoons.

NeMoskva spoke with Anna Borisova, Marketing Director of Tundra Animation Studio, to find out why it's more important than ever to remember who you are, what motivates renowned directors to return to their homeland to create, and why interest in indigenous culture has been growing rapidly in recent years.

"To bring the unique cultures of the northern peoples into the world of animation"

"A restless fidget named Ayaal has dreamed all his life of making the same incredible ice sculptures as the grumpy old master Bukke. This winter, the boy will have the chance not only to tap into the secrets of this treasured ice art and learn about Yakut traditions, but also to meet Tymnyy Okuha himself—the Bull of Cold." — this is how the team from the Tundra animation studio from Yakutia describes the plot of their first cartoon.

In Yakut mythology, the Bull of Cold personifies the inexorable elements that rage for eight months of the year. Yakuts believe that frost, cold, and winter are elements born from water, and the Bull is created by the ocean located in the north. Incidentally, it is the Bull that takes the ocean back, marking the end of the cold season.

Tundra's main mission is to bring the unique cultures of the northern peoples to the world of animation, to share Yakut beliefs, and to develop the republic's 3D animation industry.

“Now more than ever it is important to remember who you are, to love your native land even more and to make sure that others know about it, — says Tundra's marketing director Anna Borisova. - We all know about European, Russian, and even Asian traditions. But at the same time, we know less about ourselves than about others. Our team wanted to correct this."

Yakut cinema is a unique and vibrant phenomenon. Its popularity is growing rapidly. Films from Yakutia win grand prizes at major Russian festivals and successfully represent the country at international film festivals. 

This year's Oscar nominees was a film by Yakut directors Eugene и Maxima Arbugaevs "Exit" had previously won the Best Short Documentary award at the IDA Documentary Awards in Los Angeles and received a number of other film awards.

However, cartoons made in the republic have not yet achieved such success, and viewers from other regions have often not even heard of them.

"The cartoons that were made in Yakutia before us were in 2D, but 3D ones, and at the level we have, hadn't been made yet. Moreover, I read data The Russian Animation Film Association—if you look at the country as a whole, only eight regions are involved in animation. And even fewer are involved in 3D animation," provides statistics Anna.

"So that our children have their own heroes"

Tundra Studio began its work in July 2022 on the initiative of a motion designer, director and art director of the New Zealand studio Bunker Alexandra Okhlopkova. "A cool and talented guy from a village near Yakutsk," — his colleagues say about him.

Of Yakutia Okhlopkov moved to Moscow, then in New ZealandDuring his time in the film industry, he has worked with Universal Pictures, The Walt Disney Company, Netflix, Paramount Pictures, and Nickelodeon. Most recently, he collaborated on the animation for the horror film "M3GAN" and the advertising campaign for "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds."

"With so much experience, Alexander decided to revisit his roots and apply it to creating cartoons on a topic close to our hearts. So that our children could have their own heroes, not just Disney ones. He quickly assembled a team: 80% are from Yakutia. Some were found through an ad, and others were recruited from other studios he'd worked with." explains Anna Borisova.

A high-quality team guarantees high-quality results. Tundra's work is guided by the likes of leading companies, like Pixar. Many of the team have never even seen Russian animation. Watching cartoons, Anna explains, is an essential part of every studio employee's life: "In our free time, we share new cartoons with each other in our work chat, keeping track of what's coming out and what's winning awards at various festivals."

Although Tundra Studios has been around for less than a year, it already has one completed animated film (Tymnyy Oguha) and two in development (Munha and Tanha). Anna clarifies that although the cartoons are based on legends, the creators strive to somehow adapt the material to the perception of modern children:

"Because if you tell children something directly, they start to reject it, but when you do it gently, they accept it and thus learn about the fairy tales, legends, and stories of their native culture. We also try to teach adults a little, trying to get them to watch and understand something for themselves. Our cartoons are for the whole family."

"People lack quality national content"

The premiere of the animated film "Tymnyy Oguha" ("The Bull of Cold") took place in April of this year. The director was Alexander OkhlopkovThe editor-in-chief of the Disney Channel helped him write the script. Julia SinelnikovaIn total, more than 30 people are listed in the credits.

"The cartoon's running time is just over 8 minutes; we worked on it for almost nine months. For example, a single movement can take up to a day and a half. There are about 120 frames in the cartoon in total.", Anna explains. "Because 3D animation is a long, labor-intensive, and complex process. It involves creating rough 3D models, animating each one, synchronizing it with other frames, lighting, and voiceover."

 Animation is also expensive. For example, the production of "Bull Cold" Alexander Okhlopkov won a 2,5 million ruble grant at the Sinet Sakhawood competition. Almost all of this money went toward salaries for the animation team.

"When we introduced the cartoon to viewers and premiered it on our local TV channel, NVK Sakha, we received a lot of great feedback; everyone loved it. Viewers shared it with friends and invited their colleagues to screenings. We realized that, yes, people are hungry for high-quality national content, and they need it," shares Anna.

To clarify, the animated film "Byk Kholoda" is not currently available to the public, as it has been submitted to a number of festivals, one of the conditions of which is that it be a premiere. After the festival cycle is over, Tundra will be able to publish it online.

"But a single eight-minute short film won't get you very far—you need to create a series so it can be picked up by various streaming services. We decided to create a series and continue making short cartoons about winter. Because for Yakutia, that's most of the year, the harsh season from October to April. And, of course, we're based on winter themes, which hold an important place in our culture."

Support Yakut animation

This is how the idea for the cartoons "Munha" and "Tanha" was born, dedicated to the mass winter events of the Yakuts.

Munkha in Yakutia is a traditional winter fishing trip for crucian carp. In small villages, it's a tradition to gather en masse at the beginning of winter to fish with a seine. This day is perceived as a celebration of community unity, an introduction to work, a day whose purpose is not to catch crucian carp, but to unite.

The cartoon dedicated to Tankha will introduce viewers, young and old, to the mysterious January period of fortune-telling. It is believed that it is during this time that the Yakut god of fate, Tankha Khaan Toyon, is closest to the human world, resulting in the gift of foresight, and the most accurate and truthful predictions. Besides fortune-telling, this period also offers opportunities to connect with the otherworldly realm—those who enjoy mysticism will discover that even a small village can be full of mysterious places.

The premiere of the short animated films "Munha" and "Tanha" is scheduled for the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024. The animation studio "Tundra" has opened a studio for their production. crowdfunding fee on the Boomstarter platform.

You can partially support the production of cartoons about Yakut culture - hereEvery ruble counts!

Interest is growing

Anna Borisova She notes that in recent years, interest in their native culture has been growing in Yakutia itself. This is evident even among those who have left—they want to know more about the republic, are starting to learn the Yakut language, and are holding their own Ysyakh (summer solstice) festivals.

Compared to Soviet times, young people now speak the language, study it, speak it, and read it without embarrassment. Yakut is taught in schools, and kindergarteners ask which language group to enroll their children in.

"I'd really like to see more discussion about cultures outside of their regions, so they're known. For example, I think anyone unfamiliar with Yakut culture would be delighted to learn about the Sakha epic, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Olonkho is a vast and fascinating resource, which Tundra would certainly like to explore. We just don't know how yet. Perhaps in a full-length animated film."