Stories from My Childhood, Vol. 3
The story of Russia's Soyuzmultfilm Studios is one of the most  fascinating  chapters in 20th century animation. Begun in 1936 as a Soviet response to  Disney's success, the organization eventually found its own house style,  drawing some of the most talented writers, musicians, and filmmakers in the country, who in turn found relative freedom from government censorship.  Another big plus for Soyuzmultfilm artists was its unhurried working  conditions: animators had the luxury of time to create lush, painterly worlds  from adapted folk tales. This third volume of vintage works from  Soyuzmultfilm, originally broadcast on PBS with contemporary voicing by  English-speaking actors and co-executive produced by Mikhail Baryshnikov,  includes the lovely "The Snow Girl," in which an elderly couple wishing for a  child creates one from snow. (The voice cast includes Amanda Plummer and  Lolita Davidovich.) A Russian version of "Cinderella" (narrated by Sarah  Jessica Parker) is also quite lovely, while "House on Chicken Legs" is a  rousing cartoon version of Mussorgsky'sPictures from an Exhibition.  Animation buffs will really marvel at the richness and variation from piece to piece in Soyuzmultfilm releases. Kids, however, may find a deeper  experience than they do watching most contemporary U.S. animation. The DVD has  alternate French and Spanish soundtracks with different vocal casts.--Tom  Keogh