The Short Films of Yuri Norstein: Treasures of Soviet Animation Vol. 3 – Deaf Crocodile (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Soviet Union, 1968 (The 25th, the First Day), Soviet Union, 1969 (Children and Matches, Seasons), Soviet Union, 1971 (Battle at Kerzhenets), Soviet Union, 1973 (The Fox and the Hare), Soviet Union, 1974 (The Heron and the Crane), Soviet Union, 1975 (Hedgehog in the Fog), Soviet Union, 1977 (A Day Before Our Era), Soviet Union, 1979 (The Tale of Tales)
Directors: Yuri Norstein (All Films), Arkadiy Tyurin (The 25th, the First Day), Ivan Ivanov-Vano (Seasons, Battle at Kerzhenets), Fyodor Khitruk (A Before Our Era)
Cast: Viktor Khokhryakov (The Fox and the Hare), Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy (The Heron and the Crane), Aleksandr Kalyagin (The Tale of Tales)

Release Date: February 24th, 2026
Approximate Running Times: 9 Minutes 31 Seconds (The 25th, the First Day), 4 Minutes 33 Seconds (Children and Matches), 9 Minutes 28 Seconds (Seasons), 10 Minutes 12 Seconds (Battle at Kerzhenets), 12 Minutes 15 Seconds (The Fox and the Hare), 10 Minutes 15 Seconds (The Heron and the Crane), 10 Minutes 28 Seconds (Hedgehog in the Fog), 5 Minutes 37 Seconds (A Day Before Our Era), 29 Minutes 8 Seconds (The Tale of Tales)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (All Films Except Seasons, Battle at Kerzhenets, A Before Our Era), 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Seasons, Battle at Kerzhenets, A Before Our Era)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Russian (All Films)
Subtitles: English, English SDH (All Films)
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $30.95

The 25th, the First Day: "Norstein's first film is a visually striking tribute to the Bolshevik Revolution on October 25th." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Seasons: "A man and woman ride through the forest while the seasons change around them in this lovely, elegiac short set to music by Tchaikovsky." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Children and Matches: "Norstein’s rarely-seen educational short about the dangers of matches, from ancient times up to today." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Battle at Kerzhenets: "Arguably Norstein's first great animated film, inspired by the legend of the City of Kitezh which disappeared into a lake to avoid Mongol invaders." - synopsis provided by the distributor

The Fox and the Hare: "Norstein’s utterly charming short about a temperamental 'house-filching fox' who boots a poor rabbit out of its home." The rabbit turns to a wolf, bear, bull and rooster for help, with surprising results." - synopsis provided by the distributor

The Heron and the Crane: "An awkward crane and a high-spirited heron go back and forth on marrying each other in this heartbreaking short about romantic misunderstandings." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Hedgehog in the Fog: "The deceptively epic journey of the tiny hedgehog, filled with impossible marvels and dangers: a shimmering white horse and a crafty owl. A fluttering bat, a falling leaf, and the ever-present curtain of fog. Widely considered one of the greatest animated films ever made." - synopsis provided by the distributor

A Day Before Our Era: "This experimental collage of images of the French Revolution was apparently abandoned before it was finished and remains one of Norstein’s rarest films." - synopsis provided by the distributor

The Tale of Tales: "Norstein's longest film to date, TALE is a story about stories, a dream of many dreams. A giant bull and a little girl skip rope. Couples dance under a streetlight until the male partners disappear, headed off to war. And through it all, the Little Grey Wolf watches silently at the rondo of human loves and losses." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (All Films)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfers, "This first-ever U.S. Blu-ray release of Norstein’s films features several rare shorts new to home video, all newly restored by Deaf Crocodile and co-presented with Seagull Films."

Treasures of Soviet Animation Volume 3 comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 42.5 GB

Feature: 8.4 GB (The Tale of Tales), 4.6 GB (The Fox and the Hare), 3.5 GB (Hedgehog in the Fog), 3 GB (The Heron and the Crane), 2.9 GB (Battle at Kerzhenets), 2.9 GB (The 25th, the First Day), 2.7 GB (Seasons), 1.6 GB (A Day Before Our Era), 1.3 GB (Children and Matches)

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 or text 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 Nature, Texture, and Patience: The Films of Yuri Norstein (21 minutes 12 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with non-removable English subtitles for Russian film clips), audio commentaries with film scholar Michael Brooke for each film, and a documentary titled Yuri Norstein: Making the Overcoat (112 minutes 39 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Russian with non-removable English subtitles).

Summary:

This collection presents the 11 completed films directed/co-directed by Yuri Norstein. What sets his animation apart from other animators is that he uses a technique that involves multiple glass planes to give it a three-dimensional look. Known for his perfectionism, his nickname is “The Golden Snail." Although all of his completed works are short films, his first feature film, The Overcoat, has been in production since 1981, and as of this writing, only about 25 minutes have been completed. Accompanying this release is a feature-length documentary that provides details about The Overcoat.

While he is known for using glass panes, when it comes to one style of animation, each of his films has a distinct look. Many of his films have no dialog and rely solely on their striking imagery. The absence of dialogue is never problematic, as most films maintain a certain brevity. While visuals are crucial, when dialogue is included, it is crafted in a way that does not complicate the unfolding story. Hedgehog in the Fog is widely considered the greatest animated film, while his most ambitious film, The Tale of Tales, is also held in high regard.

One of the best things about being a fan of cinema is discovering a new filmmaker. The quality of Yuri Norstein’s filmography is outstanding, and when watched in the order they were made, it's astonishing the amount of growth he displayed as an artist. That said, Yuri Norstein is a filmmaker who deserves all of the acclaim he’s received, and hopefully this release will introduce his films to a wider audience.

Deaf Crocodile’s The Short Films of Yuri Norstein: Treasures of Soviet Animation Vol. 3 is an exceptional release and a must-have for fans of Russian animation. Highly recommended.

Note: There is a deluxe release of The Short Films of Yuri Norstein: Treasures of Soviet Animation Vol. 3 that comes in a slipcase and a 60-page book with an essay by film historian Jennifer Lynde Barker, an essay written by animation expert John Adkins and an essay by film critic Walter Chaw (Film Freak Central).

Written by Michael Den Boer