''The Three Bogatyrs'' (

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

:Три богатыря) is a Russian

animated Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...

franchise produced by

Melnitsa Animation Studio Melnitsa Animation Studio (, "melnitsa" meaning "windmill") is one of the largest animation studios in Russia. Deutsche Welle called the studio the Walt Disney of Saint Petersburg. Alongside its animation projects, Melnitsa has an effort devoted t ...

. The films feature the voices of

Sergey Makovetsky } Sergei Vasilievich Makovetsky (, born 13 June 1958) is a Soviet and Ukrainian-born Russian film and stage actor. His work as an actor has won him 11 awards and a further 15 nominations. Selected filmography Film *1989: '' The Initiated'' a ...

, Dimitry Vysotsky, Liya Medvedeva, Valery Soloviev, Oleg Kulikovich,

Oleg Tabakov Oleg Pavlovich Tabakov (; 17 August 1935 – 12 March 2018) was a Soviet and Russian actor and the Artistic Director of the Moscow Chekhov Art Theatre. People's Artist of the USSR (1988). Biography Tabakov was born in Saratov into a family of do ...

, Anatoly Petrov,

Andrei Tolubeyev Andrei Yuryevich Tolubeyev (; March 30, 1945 – April 7, 2008) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor. People's Artist of the RSFSR (1991). Chairman of the Board of the Union of Theatrical Figures of Russia (1996). He was born and died ...

, and

Fyodor Bondarchuk Fyodor Sergeyevich Bondarchuk ( ; born 9 May 1967) is a Russian film director, actor, producer and TV host. He is also the founder of Art Pictures Studio, a production company. He specializes in action movies, war movies, and science fiction ...

with

Elizaveta Boyarskaya Elizaveta Mikhailovna Boyarskaya (, born 20 December 1985) is a Russian theater and film actress. Honored Artists of the Russian Federation (2018). Biography Early life and education Elizaveta was born on 20 December 1985 in Leningrad to a f ...

. The overarching plot throughout the series follows the adventures of three

bogatyr A bogatyr (, ; , ) or vityaz (, ; , ) is a stock character in medieval Bylina, East Slavic legends, akin to a Western European knight-errant. Bogatyrs appear mainly in Kievan Rus', Rus' epic poems—Bylina, ''bylinas''. Historically, they came i ...

Alyosha Popovich Alyosha Popovich (, , literally ''Alexey, son of the priest''), is a folk hero of Kievan Rus', appearing in Russian folklore. He is a bogatyr (a medieval knight-errant) and the youngest of the three main bogatyrs, the other two being Dobrynya Ni ...

Dobrynya Nikitich Dobrynya Nikitich () is one of the most popular bogatyrs (epic knights) from the " Kievan" series of Russian folklore based on bylina (epic songs) originating from the area around the capital of the Kievan Rus, Kiev. According to the bylinas, ...

and

Ilya Muromets Ilya Muromets or Murometz, also known as Ilya of Murom, is a ''bogatyr'' (hero) in a type of Russian oral literature , oral epic poem called ''bylina'' set during the time of the Kievan Rus'. He is often featured alongside fellow bogatyrs Dobry ...

. The series grossed over $135 million, making it the highest grossing Russian animated film and rendering it one of the most profitable Russian films in the last 10 years. This animated film is

anachronistic An anachronism (from the Greek , 'against' and , 'time') is a chronological inconsistency in some arrangement, especially a juxtaposition of people, events, objects, language terms and customs from different time periods. The most common typ ...

, following the lead of the other films in this series. Set in medieval times, this film combines the history of the Kievan Rus,

Slavic Slavic, Slav or Slavonic may refer to: Peoples * Slavic peoples, an ethno-linguistic group living in Europe and Asia ** East Slavic peoples, eastern group of Slavic peoples ** South Slavic peoples, southern group of Slavic peoples ** West Slav ...

, and

Russian folklore The Russian folklore, i.e., the folklore of Russian people, takes its roots in the pagan beliefs of ancient Slavs and now is represented in the Russian fairy tales. Epic Russian bylinas are also an important part of Slavic paganism. The oldest ...

with more modern elements including a nod to

Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin () was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era.Basker, Michael. Pushkin and Romanticism. In Ferber, Michael, ed., ''A Companion to European Romanticism''. Oxford: Blackwell, 2005. He is consid ...

and video games. Each of the first three films featured one of the

s which were Russian

epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...

heroes, based very loosely on the heroes in the legends about

Prince Vladimir Vladimir I Sviatoslavich or Volodymyr I Sviatoslavych (; Christian name: ''Basil''; 15 July 1015), given the epithet "the Great", was Prince of Novgorod from 970 and Grand Prince of Kiev from 978 until his death in 1015. The Eastern Orthodox ...

in the Kievan-Rus' bylina cycle, a collection of traditional Russian oral epic narrative poems. The fourth film, ''The Three Bogatyrs, and the Shamakhan Queen'', unites all three of the bogatyrs, Alyosha Popovich, Ilya Muromets, and Dobrynya Nikitych, in one film and includes sidekicks such as Julius the talking horse, introduced in the previous films. Unlike the other three animated features, this film also makes reference to the Russian literature from the 19th century and the famous narrative epic of Alexander Pushkin: ''

The Tale of the Golden Cockerel ''The Tale of the Golden Cockerel'' () is the last fairy tale in verse by Alexander Pushkin. Pushkin wrote the tale in 1834 and it was first published in literary magazine ''Biblioteka dlya chteniya'' (''Library for Reading'') in 1835. While not o ...

'' (Сказка о золотом петушке, 1834) with the addition of the Shamakhan Queen. The commercial success of this series has been increasing since the release of the first film in 2004, because of such marketing.

Highest grossers

Feature films

''Alyosha Popovich and Tugarin Zmey'' (2004)

"Alyosha Popovich and Tugarin Zmey (2004)" the screen version of the Russian bylina about Alesha Popovic and his enemy Tugarin the Serpent.

''Dobrynya Nikitich and Zmey Gorynych'' (2006)

''Ilya Muromets and Nightingale the Robber'' (2007)

This is the third installation of the series and the story revolves around Ilya Muromets and his horse defeating Nightingale the Bandit's building-leveling whistle and they both send him to prison. Ilya is later dismissed from the Prince of Kiev's service after a dispute over ownership of his beloved stallion. When Nightingale escapes from prison, stealing all of the prince's gold and Ilya's horse to boot, Ilya and the Prince captures the bandit.

''How Not to Rescue a Princess'' (2010)

''The Three Bogatyrs and the Shamakhan Queen'' or ''How Not to Rescue a Princess'' is the fourth film in the animated series and was released December 30, 2010. The DVD was released on 17 February 2011 and during the first six weeks made 566,731,786 rubles, breaking the record for Russian animated films and earning a spot as one of the most profitable Russian films in the last 10 years.

''Three Heroes on Distant Shores'' (2012)

In English-speaking countries, it was distributed as "Three Bogatyrs Far Far away", which was commercially successful despite some negative reviews. The premise is that Kolyvan and Baba Yaga plan to take over the palace of the Prince of Kiev. They succeed in their attempt with the help of a singular army—two enormous bunnies. They also create a fake source of legitimation, the doubles of the three bogatyrs, who affirm that the charlatans are the legitimate successors of the Prince. In the meantime, with the help of further magic,

Baba Yaga Baba Yaga is a female character (or one of a trio of sisters of the same name) from Slavic folklore who has two contrasting roles. In some narratives, she is described as a repulsive or ferocious-looking old woman who fries and eats children, ...

banishes the real bogatyrs to a remote shore. The plot develops through various episodes involving the impostors with their bunnies, the Prince of Kiev with the horse Iulii, the bogatyrs' wives with the doubles, the real bogatyrs with the indigenous people and a giant gorilla, and the appearance of some characters from the previous series—Tikhon, babka and the dragon Gorynych. The film is perhaps most successful in presenting a straight criticism of Russian society and rulers. It is a satire that is undoubtedly addressed at contemporary Russia, but that has in itself recurrent traits of satirical works emerging at different times during historical Russian and Soviet eras. These traits include: infatuation with foreign products and towards foreigners, ineptitude of the rulers to govern, corruption, unfair tax collection, high prices on produce, and swift acceptance of new impostors. This type of satirical accent acquires even more weight when followed by shots of nationalist characters, such as the beautiful domes of the village that assume different colors from the reflection of the rising sun. To the contrary of many contemporary foreign animated films, ''Three Bogatyrs'' relies more on traditional, drawn animation than on computer graphics. As in many animated movies made in Russia, characters and scenes are first drawn, scanned, and only then do computer animators fill in the tasks of coloring, adding backgrounds and special effects.

''Three Heroes. Horse Course'' (2015)

Also known as ''"Roundabout Way and New Adventures of Ancient Bogatyrs."'' This story revolves around a court horse named Julius Caesar. Tasked with a crucial mission, the horse must save the Grand Duke of Kiev while the Bogatyrs are away, attempting to capture a notorious robber. As the plot unfolds, the antagonist’s malevolent ambitions extend beyond ancient Russia, aiming for global domination. The primary villain, a sentient oak tree, manipulates and deceives unsuspecting individuals through cunning gambles. Alongside him, the ruthless robber Potanya presents another formidable challenge. Blending humor, adventure, and folklore, the film reimagines classic Russian mythology with a fresh and engaging narrative. Through its dynamic storytelling and vivid animation, ''Three Heroes. Horse Course'' offers an entertaining yet thought-provoking exploration of heroism and trickery.

Other sequels

Other sequels consist of The Three Heroes and the Sea King (2016), Three Heroes and the Princess of Egypt (2017), Three Heroes and the Heir to the Throne (2018), Horse Julius and Big Horse Racing (2020), and Three Heroes and Horse Julius on the Throne (2021).

Characters

* Vladimir, Prince of Kiev - The ruler of Kievan Rus. *

- The oldest and most powerful bogatyr; married to Alenushka, a journalist. *

- Bogatyr who loves to sleep, and believes that dreams bring powers; head of the Prince's Guard; married to Nastasya Philippovna. *

- The youngest bogatyr; born in

Rostov Rostov-on-Don is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East European Plain on the Don River, from the Sea of Azov, directly north of t ...

; married to Lyubova; friends with Julius Caesar the Talking Horse and Tikhon. * Kolyvan - Fat merchant who had the magical power to win in the lottery. He became a friend to the Prince of Kiev and Baba-Yaga. * Zmey Gorinich - Three-headed dragon; friend of Dobrynya Nikitich. Although in the Bylinas, Dobrynya fought the beast, in the films Dobrynya trusts him. * Tugarin Zmey - Evil and greedy; commander of the Tugar army. *

- Happy old woman who brews potions and, unlike in some fairy tales, does not eat anyone. Deals with forest and wetland ecology. Friends with Kolyvan and released his debts. *

Basileus ''Basileus'' () is a Greek term and title that has signified various types of monarchs throughout history. In the English language, English-speaking world, it is perhaps most widely understood to mean , referring to either a or an . The title ...

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

Emperor, the "sworn brother" to Prince of Kiev. Bad, greedy and cowardly: all the qualities of the prince of Kiev, doubled. (from

Macedonian dynasty The Macedonian dynasty () Byzantine Empire under the Macedonian dynasty, ruled the Byzantine Empire from 867 to 1056, following the Byzantium under the Amorian dynasty, Amorian dynasty. During this period, the Byzantine state reached its greates ...

?) *

Nightingale the Robber Nightingale the Robber or Solovei the Brigand (), an epic robber, appears in traditional Russian '' byliny'' (folk poems). History Pavel Ivanovich Melnikov discovered a version of the legend of Solovei in a 17th-century handwritten collection o ...

- Evil, treacherous and cunning thief. Stole gold coins from the Prince of Kiev as well as the horse of Ilya Muromets. * Burushka - the horse of Ilya Muromets. *

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

, The Talking Horse - The horse of

; born in

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the V ...

, where he read a lot of books, because he lived in the Church library. He named himself after the Roman dictator. * Vasya - The camel of Dobrynya Nikitich. * Oak - The antagonist of the sixth movie. * Potanya - The sea pirate.

References

External links

*
Official Channel
in

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

Official Facebook homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Three Bogatyrs, The Film series introduced in 2004 Animated film series Russian animated comedy films Russian children's fantasy films 2000s fantasy comedy films 2000s adventure comedy films 2010s fantasy comedy films 2010s adventure comedy films Cultural depictions of Vladimir the Great 2010s Russian-language films Films about animals Films set in Russia Films set in the Middle Ages Russian animated fantasy films 2010s children's comedy films Works set in Kievan Rus' Mass media franchises Melnitsa Animation Studio animated films