Soyuzmultfilm, in a very early work of theirs, don't disappoint and it was interesting in 1938's 'The Three Musketeers' to see a short from Ivan Ivanov-Vano in the early parts of his career. Just as interesting was how 'The Three Musketeers' would do making a very condensed and loose take (knew that it was never going to be, or intended to be, straight up faithful with it needing to be a feature-length film for that, of which there are only elements of it, of the timeless Alexandre Dumas book.

Ivanov-Vano did do much better in his later work when his style became more refined and when he took on more "adult" subjects (i.e. the horrors of war), shorts based on Soviet tales and stories with a message. So did Soyuzmultfilm when they started to properly hit their stride in perhaps the late 40s and even more so in the 50s onwards. Still they do come off well here and 'The Three Musketeers' is a likeable enough short with a lot going for it.

'The Three Musketeers' is not perfect. The animation does lack finesse and cold have done with more detail, looking more like it was made in the late 20s rather than the 30s. The dogs, representing the villainous characters, were a bit bland for my tastes and didn't feel that much of a threat from them.

And if there was no prior knowledge to me of the cats versus dogs meaning to represent heroes versus villains it would have not have been completely obvious to me. Really do hope that that doesn't sound idiotic but it was just my on-the-spot thoughts when watching 'The Three Musketeers'. Some of the pace could have been tighter perhaps too.

However there is a good amount to like. The best thing about 'The Three Musketeers' is the music, which is full of energy and beautifully orchestrated and sung in a distinctively Russian way. The songs, which do serve a very important purpose in moving the story forward and explaining the action (without over-explaining), are very catchy.

The lyrics are suitably witty too while much of the story has much excitement with amusing interplay between the duckling and the cat musketeers. The duckling is a likeable hero with an actual personality and the cats have the charisma and wit necessary for the musketeers.

Overall, nicely done. 7/10

Russian cinema is distinguished by its epic scale, philosophical depth, and innovative visual language. It often explores history, ideology, and the human psyche, with a tradition of psychological realism and artistic experimentation. Russian cinema contributed revolutionary theories of editing and later a spiritual approach to film language. It remains known for combining formal experimentation with profound explorations of endurance and belief.

Nikolay Grinko, Aleksandr Kaydanovskiy, and Anatoliy Solonitsyn in Stalker (1979)

Animation is a form of visual storytelling that involves creating visual art and motion through the use of various techniques and technologies. In animation, images are manipulated to create the illusion of movement, bringing characters, objects, and environments to life. Animation can encompass a wide range of styles, themes, and intended audiences, making it a diverse and versatile form of storytelling.

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The short form refers to creative works characterized by their brevity and concise storytelling. Unlike full-length feature films, short films have a running time of less than 45 minutes, while TV shorts have a running time of less than 22 minutes.

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)

Animation film about duckling, who liked to read Alexandre Dumas and in the dream has become musketeer. The friends-musketeers are cats, and the guards of Cardinal - dogs.

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The Three Musketeers

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