Treasures of Soviet Animation Volume 1: Standard Edition – Deaf Crocodile (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Soviet Union, 1981 (The Mystery of the Third Planet), Soviet Union, 1980 (The Return), Soviet Union, 1988 (The Pass)
Directors: Roman Kachanov (The Mystery of the Third Planet), Vladimir Tarasov (The Return, The Pass)
Cast: Olga Gromova, Vsevolod Larionov, Yuri Volyntsev, Vasily Livanov, Grigory Shpigel, Vladimir Kenigson, Vladimir Druzhnikov (The Mystery of the Third Planet), Viktor Balashov, Aleksandr Kaydanovskiy, Vasiliy Livanov (The Return), Aleksandr Kaydanovskiy, Vasiliy Livanov, Aleksandr Pashutin, Alla Pokrovskaya (The Pass)

Release Date: October 14th, 2025
Approximate Running Times: 49 Minutes 32 Seconds (The Mystery of the Third Planet), 10 Minutes 35 Seconds (The Return), 31 Minutes 12 Seconds (The Pass)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (All Films)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Russian (All Films)
Subtitles: English, English SDH (All Films)
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $29.95

The Mystery of the Third Planet: "A trio of intrepid space explorers, Professor Seleznyov, his 9-year old daughter Alisa and the hilariously doom-and-gloom Captain Zelyonyy set off on a rocket ship in the year 2181 to collect rare alien creatures for the Moscow Zoo. They’re immediately drawn into an amazingly convoluted mystery involving a sinister doctor named Verkhovtsev, a nearly-extinct Chatter-bird, and two legendary missing cosmonauts, while galaxy hopping from one wildly colorful planet to the next." - synopsis provided by the distributor

The Return: "a sleeping cosmonaut hurtles unaware towards his home planet -- but will he awake in time?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

The Pass: "a group of terrified human survivors on an alien world try to reach their derelict spacecraft 16 years after it crashed." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (All Films)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfers, "Deaf Crocodile presents the first volume in a series of new restorations of classic and rare Soviet animated gems from the vaults of the legendary Soyuzmultfilm studios."

Treasures of Soviet Animation Volume 1 comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 30.4 GB

Feature: 13.4 GB (The Mystery of the Third Planet), 8.3 GB (The Pass), 2.8 GB (The Return)

The sources look excellent; this is another solid encode from Fidelity in Motion. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 5/5 (All Films)

Each film comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Russian. All audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced, and ambient sounds are well-represented. There are two subtitle options: English or English SDH; these can only be changed via the setup menu and not during playback.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a video essay by film historian Evan Chester titled Vladimir Tarasov (17 minutes 20 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with non-removable English subtitles for Russian film clips), a video essay by Evan Chester titled Roman Kachanov and The Mystery of the Third Planet (21 minutes 10 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with non-removable English subtitles for Russian film clips), an audio commentary with Adam Rackoff, James Hancock, and Martin Kessler for The Mystery of the Third Planet, an audio commentary with Adam Rackoff, James Hancock, and Martin Kessler for The Pass, and an insert with a URL that has a PDF for access to transcribed bonus content.

Summary:

The Mystery of the Third Planet: A trio of space explorers—a zoologist, his daughter, and Captain Greene—travel through space looking for rare space animals for the Moscow zoo.

The Mystery of the Third Planet is overflowing with imagination and stylish imagery, which heightens the mood. There is an array of colorful characters, like a diamond-shelled tortoise, invisible fish, a flying cow, and mirror-like flowers. While they try to collect animals for the zoo, the trio are attacked by robots, space pirates, a pig-faced fat man, and a nefarious individual in disguise.

The narrative does a fabulous job drawing you in and keeping you interested with a series of well-executed twists and turns. The finale provides one last surprise with a Scooby-Doo-like reveal where a character pretending to be someone they are not is unmasked. Another strength is the use of trippy space sounds and an exemplary score that greatly enhance the mood. Ultimately, The Mystery of the Third Planet is a film that the young and the young at heart should thoroughly enjoy.

The Return: A cosmonaut preparing for his reentry into Earth’s atmosphere does not awaken from his deep sleep until he hears familiar sounds of home.

The Return is a mix of striking black & white, vibrant use of colors, and photographs of live-action aerial shots of landscapes. Although the images drive the narrative, there is just enough exposition that relevant information is fleshed out. Ultimately, The Return is a film that far exceeds the sum of its parts, and its exemplary ending serves as a perfect coda.

The Pass: Earthlings living on an alien planet for 16 years since their plane crashed send out a group to retrieve things from the ship. To get there and back, they have to cross a pass that no one has ever returned from.

The first thing that grabs you about The Pass is how expressive its animation is. The animation does not conform to a singular style; it's filled with imaginative and surreal imagery, which does a phenomenal job heightening the mood. A remarkable eerie score that is a mix of piano and synth music cues reinforces the imagery. Although there are familiar things throughout The Pass, they are reshaped into something truly unique.

The opening setup does an excellent job laying the foundation, and a well-executed narrative does an effective job building momentum to its perfect resolution. Another strength of the narrative is its ability to create tense moments and sustain tension. Ultimately, The Pass is an evocative film that’s reminiscent of the cinema of Andrei Tarkovsky.

Don’t let their brevity deceive you; the three films that are part of Treasures of Soviet Animation Volume 1 are rich cinematic experiences. Deaf Crocodile’s Treasures of Soviet Animation Volume 1 is an exceptional release and a must-have for fans of Russian animation. Highly recommended.

Note: There is a deluxe release of Treasures of Soviet Animation Volume 1 that comes in a slipcase and a 60-page book with an essay by film historian Jennifer Lynde Barker and an essay by film critic Walter Chaw (Film Freak Central).

Written by Michael Den Boer