Treasures of Soviet Animation Volume 2: Standard Edition – Deaf Crocodile (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Soviet Union, 1952 (The Scarlet Flower), Soviet Union, 1957 (The Snow Queen), Soviet Union, 1961 (The Key)
Director: Lev Atamanov (All Films)
Cast: Mariya Babanova, Nikolay Bogolyubov, Olga Chepurova, Vladimir Gribkov, Nina Krachkovskaya, Mikhail Astangov (The Scarlet Flower), Vladimir Gribkov, Yanina Zheymo, Anna Komolova, Mariya Babanova, Galina Kozhakina, Irina Murzayeva (The Snow Queen), Vladimir Gribkov, A. Glushchenko, Anna Komolova, Georgiy Vitsin, Rina Zelyonaya, Vera Orlova (The Key)

Release Date: November 11th, 2025
Approximate Running Times: 41 Minutes 29 Seconds (The Scarlet Flower), 63 Minutes 14 Seconds (The Snow Queen), 56 Minutes 51 Seconds (The Key)
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 Scarlet Flower: "A ship's captain promises his youngest daughter Nastenka (voiced by Nina Krachkovskaya) a scarlet flower as a gift. But when he plucks it, the enraged beast who owns it demands a sacrifice—and Nastenka offers herself up as the monster's prisoner on an enchanted isle." - synopsis provided by the distributor

The Snow Queen: "a resourceful young girl, Gerda (voiced by Yanina Zheymo), as she embarks on an epic journey to save her friend Kay (Anna Komolova) from the frozen embraces of the magnificent Snow Queen (Mariya Babanova)." - synopsis provided by the distributor

The Key: "a surreal parable about the benefits of magic vs. the value of good hard work. Three wonderfully wacky fairies come to bless a newborn child with the gift of an enchanted ball of yarn—but the boy's no-nonsense grandfather (voiced by A. Glushchenko) wants to give him more practical gifts, like common sense, a good hammer, and a strong work ethic." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (All Films)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfers, "New restorations of all 3 films by Craig Rogers for Deaf Crocodile."

Treasures of Soviet Animation Volume 2 comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.5 GB

Feature: 10.3 GB (The Scarlet Flower), 15.8 GB (The Snow Queen), 14.2 GB (The Key)

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 Written With Ice Crystals: Lev Atamanov and The Snow Queen (19 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a video essay by film historian John Adkins titled Innocence & Cynicism: The Snow Queen and Hayao Miyazaki (10 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with film historian Rolf Giesen for each film.

Summary:

Lev Atamanov, one of the founders of Soviet animation, directed The Scarlet Flower, The Snow Queen, and The Key. His films are known for their vivid use of colors, exquisite backgrounds, and the unique way in which characters and animals move. His films are known for their well-crafted narratives, which have emotional depth, and most of them have moral lessons.

The Scarlet Flower: Before he goes on a long trip, a merchant father asks his three daughters what they want. His oldest daughter wants a shiny tiara, his middle daughter a magic mirror, and his youngest daughter a scarlet flower. Although he easily finds two of the gifts, his search for the scarlet flower proves challenging. When he finally locates it, he is compelled to strike a bargain with a hideous monster for taking the flower.

The Scarlet Flower is based on Sergey Aksakov’s story of the same name. If the story feels familiar, it is a variation of Beauty and the Beast written by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve. That said, despite The Scarlet Flower’s similarities, the result is something that holds up really well on its own.

Don’t let its short running time of 41 minutes fool you; its narrative achieves more than most films do in twice the amount of time. The narrative does an exceptional job drawing you in and holding your attention while it effectively builds to a perfect coda. Another notable strength of The Scarlet Flower is the depth of its characters and the way they are developed. Ultimately, The Scarlet Flower serves as an excellent example of a fairy tale that is sure to delight fans of this genre.

The Snow Queen: A young girl embarks on a dangerous journey to rescue her friend whom the Snow Queen has abducted.

The Snow Queen is an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen. It is a story that’s been adapted numerous times, the most notable of which is Frozen. Animator, filmmaker, and manga artist Hayao Miyazaki is an admirer of The Snow Queen, a film that he considers one of the best animation films ever made.

It is easy to see why critics and audiences hold Lev Atamanov's The Snow Queen in such high regard. It is a film that never strays from the core essence of what makes Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen timeless. The well-constructed narrative does an excellent job building momentum to an exemplary finale. Ultimately. The Snow Queen is an extraordinary film that has not lost any of its potency. 

The Key: The grandfather of a child whose parents indulge his every whim tries to teach him the value of hard work.

The Key is pure fantasy; it is a film that rarely deals with the realm of reality. The opening setup: a couple who have just had a son are visited by three fairies, who provide the child a red ball that’s guaranteed to bring him happiness. Knowing life is about ups and downs that shape us, the boys' grandfather comes up with a plan that forces his grandson to learn how to work with his hands.

At just under an hour in length, the narrative covers a lot of ground. The narrative moves briskly and it does a superb job building momentum to its lessons-learned finale. Although The Key is a satirical film, it still offers a substantial amount of social commentary, particularly focusing on themes that were central to the Soviet Union. Ultimately, The Key is a highly entertaining, whimsical film that quickly draws you in and holds your attention.

Deaf Crocodile’s Treasures of Soviet Animation Volume 2 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 2 that comes in a slipcase and a 60-page book with an essay by film historian Rolf Giesen and an essay by film critic Walter Chaw (Film Freak Central).

Written by Michael Den Boer