Soviet-bloc cartoons revived

It’s not something you’d see in an old Warner Bros. cartoon: a mommy rabbit going into labor and giving birth, depicted with anatomical correctness.

That was the high point of “Krtek” (“The Mole”), one of Eastern Europe’s most beloved old cartoons, about a kind-hearted mole and his woodland friends.

Because of YouTube, “Krtek” and other Soviet-era animated shows are now available to a new generation of children – and their parents.

YouTube has revived the animated short genre, once nearly impossible to see outside of film festival screenings.

The online offerings – typically five to 10 minutes long – are perfect for watching with kids as an alternative to TV.

Many have little or no dialogue, so there’s no language barrier. And the beautiful artwork, though sometimes crude, also offers a glimpse of a bygone era when every cartoon cell was hand-painted.

“Short animation seems to work extremely well on the Internet. It’s just easier to take in a short subject on the computer,” says Rick Demott, managing editor of Animation World International magazine.

In the case of old Soviet-bloc animation, YouTube – thanks to fans who have uploaded videos – lifts the Iron Curtain so the rest of the world can see what children in Communist countries were watching during the 1950s through the 1970s.

Although some of the work was created for propaganda purposes, most clips on YouTube are free of any overt ideology.

“The stories are lovely,” says Karl Cohen, a professor of animation history at San Francisco State University. “I guess what you could say is that they project a sense of wholesomeness. There’s a love of country, love of parents. They’re very nice little films.”

In the former U.S.S.R., the Kremlin viewed animation as a vital way to teach values, so top animators were placed on the national payroll.

“They’re so well-made because the government put a lot of money into them,” says Cohen. “They realized you could educate the population through animation and live action.”

The shows were created in Eastern Europe – Czechoslovakia, in particular, which was acclaimed for its animation – but aired in other Communist nations, including Cuba and China.

“Krtek,” a sort of Czech Mickey Mouse created by Zdenek Miler in the 1950s, continues to be heavily merchandised overseas. Its gentle themes and nature-loving message are universal.

“The episodes are accessible to the youngest children, as they are virtually without dialogue, mainly action and pantomime, with highly stylized graphic design,” says Gene Deitch, creator of the “Tom Terrific” cartoon in the U.S. and the husband of Zdenka Deitchova, who produced the films.

Although “Krtek” had been unknown in the U.S., the 1960s Polish hit “Bolek and Lolek,” about the adventures of two children, aired in English as “Bennie and Lennie” and “Jym and Jam.” Some episodes appeared on Nickelodeon.

The Russian version of the “Tom and Jerry” concept was “Wilk I Zajac,” or “Wolf and Hare,” while “Pavrozik iz Romashkova” is about a blue train that looks suspiciously like “Thomas the Tank Engine.”

Some of the loveliest Soviet animation on YouTube features puppets. In “Varezhka” (“The Mitten”), a Russian girl longs for a dog, but her distracted mom forbids it in their small flat. The girl gets her wish when her mitten transforms into a puppy.

Like much of the Cold War-era animation posted on YouTube, “The Mitten” drew nostalgic commentary from Eastern Europeans who remember it from their childhoods. They’re glad the world can see these depictions of hopes and dreams under Communist rule.

“(They were) regular people whose aspirations were … to be safe, to earn a living by doing something you love, to watch your children grow and blossom,” one viewer wrote about “The Mitten.”

“The cartoons … illustrate the values Soviet kids were taught: friendship, respect for elders, compassion.”