“Masha and the Bear” is an adorable series. Masha is as cute as a bug’s ear. With her blond hair, green eyes, and happy giggles, she brings a bundle of energy to each episode. She loves to wear pink, and her outfits are a wide range of active wear in her favorite color. Her bedroom is filled with toys and decorated in pretty, pink wall paper and white furniture decorated with pink florals. She’s a cheerful little girl who is just as happy riding her tricycle as pretending to be a superhero.
Her favorite pal, Bear, is retired from the circus. He keeps her entertained with games, art activities and TV. Sometimes they have adventures outside, except when it’s snowing. Then, Bear is a lovable nanny who organizes educational fun to keep her mind off being stuck inside. The episodes are each 7-minutes long, so it doesn’t take much time before a new adventure is unfolding.
Masha and Bear live in a cottage in the country, surrounded by woods populated with their animal friends. Foxes, wolves, squirrels and birds are just a few of the characters, and they are all capable of participating of human-like activities. This means that they frequently get themselves into trouble, and must figure out solutions to their problems with Masha. It’s a colorful, fun-filled world.
The Russian series is now part of the Universal Kids channel. It’s a wonderful addition to the lineup. It’s already been broadcast to over 100 countries, which required the translation and dubbing for Marsha’s voice for 25 languages. It’s available on YouTube, Netflix and via NBCUniversal. With over 2.4 billion views of just a single episode, it is now YouTube’s video with the prestigious title of most-viewed, non-music video of all time.
It’s an adventure comedy created by Oleg Kuzovkov, an artist, animator, cinematographer and producer, and it’s inspired by a folk tale for children. Produced in Moscow, Russia, at the Animaccord Animation Studio, the show has kept the same title as the folk tale. Elsie Fisher, who voiced Agnes in the Despicable Me films was selected to do the voice over in English for the show’s first season.
Oleg Kuzovkov was honored by Animation Magazine for his innovative work with Masha and the Bear. The animation industry news source described Kuzovkov as one of the artists who contributed to the quality of animation. Kuzovkov was applauded for attracting an international audience with a high-quality ideas in terms of plots and ideas for families. Kuzovkov noted that the team of technicians and artists which he gathered into Animaccord contributed the talent which brought Masha and the Bear from local to international level. Kuzovkov said that has been his greatest achievement.
Animaccord Animation Studio is located in the northern outskirts of Moscow in a kindergarten which formerly Soviet. There are 70 animators who create 2 to 4 seconds of animation daily. The images are highly detailed, which is a departure from traditional animated series for television. Each short episode can cost $250.000 to produce. The detailed work is considered important, as the viewers are discerning children.
Kuzovkov was resting on a beach in Crimea when a little girl attracted his attention. She was playing on the beach with her parents, but her energy level was so high that she disrupted everyone around her. Kuzovkov liked her take-charge personality and inexhaustible supply of energy, even though the rest of the vacationers tired of her unruliness quickly. He called her a “small nuclear reactor”, but she gave him the idea for a leading character.
It took ten years of seeking an investor for the idea, and the artist first wanted to have the girl with characteristics of a piglet and a froglet. Early Masha and Bear had no dialogues. Eventually, Masha began to talk, and there are many toys, videos and Marsha related items on the market now. The American version was described by the Russians as having more pop music, more action and faster production times. Kuzovkov moved to Los Angeles in 1990s when the post-Soviet economy brought challenges. He returned to Moscow in 2003, and now divides his time between Los Angeles and Moscow. The pre-production work is completed in California, including screenwriting and storyboards because Moscow doesn’t have storyboard artists.
As of 2015, Spin Master, one of the primary leaders in children’s entertainment worldwide became the master toy licensee for Masha and the Bear in Canada and the United States. The company was tasked with releasing new toys based on the series. In Europe, Simba Dickie Group began to offer a wide range of Masha and the Bear licensed toys, including dolls, playsets, bricks, puzzles and plush toys. All marketing aside, Masha and the Bear is a must see for families with pre-school age children, as all things Masha come with a lot of fun.
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