<\/p>\n
Russia\u2019s domestic box office has a\u00a0rare smash hit. \u201cCheburashka 2,\u201d this year\u2019s sequel to\u00a0the 2023 live-action film adapting Soviet writer Eduard Uspensky\u2019s beloved \u201canimal unknown to\u00a0science\u201d (as\u00a0the creature is\u00a0famously described), has already generated more than five billion rubles ($65.1 million) in\u00a0ticket sales. The movie is\u00a0on\u00a0track to\u00a0outperform its predecessor, which earned a\u00a0record 7.1 billion rubles ($92.4 million) during its theatrical\u00a0run. Despite strong commercial success, the production has provoked outrage from some conservatives. The prominent \u201cEurasianist\u201d right-wing philosopher Alexander Dugin has led the backlash, and several State Duma deputies now echo his criticisms. Meduza examines the reasons for the controversy.<\/p>\n
Alexander Dugin\u2019s objections to\u00a0Cheburashka are nothing new, but his criticism has intensified<\/p>\n
Dugin spoke out about the new film as\u00a0early as\u00a0January 5. In\u00a0his Telegram channel, he\u00a0wrote<\/a>: \u201cIf\u00a0we\u00a0continue this unhealthy obsession with Cheburashka, the Lord will surely curse\u00a0us. Come to\u00a0your senses, people.\u201d He\u00a0did not say whether he\u00a0had actually seen the film.<\/p>\n Dugin\u2019s call to\u00a0action went largely unnoticed, and on\u00a0January 13, he\u00a0published another series of\u00a0short posts about Cheburashka:<\/p>\n The figure of\u00a0Cheburashka is\u00a0derived from ancient pentacles that reproduce the symbolic features of\u00a0the Moon demon Shedbarshemoth Sharthatan. If\u00a0the entirety of\u00a0the \u201cRussian idea\u201d is\u00a0reduced to\u00a0this, we\u00a0are finished. Not so\u00a0long ago, \u201cCheburashka 1.0\u201d arrived in\u00a0the form of\u00a0the late Soviet Union and [the film] The Irony of\u00a0Fate. God forbid, we\u00a0are approaching The End 2.0. If\u00a0so, one feels the urge to\u00a0reach for the [nuclear-propelled cruise missile] \u201cBurevestnik,\u201d or\u00a0perhaps straight for the [nuclear-propelled underwater vehicle] \u201cPoseidon.\u201d Sometimes it\u00a0is\u00a0better not to\u00a0exist at\u00a0all than to\u00a0exist in\u00a0some unintelligible state. Cheburashka is\u00a0the concentrated expression of\u00a0that very feeblemindedness against which I\u00a0have battled my\u00a0whole life.<\/p>\n The next day, Dugin was invited<\/a> to\u00a0talk about Cheburashka on\u00a0Komsomolskaya Pravda radio. There, he\u00a0said that both Cheburashka and Gena the Crocodile (Eduard Uspensky\u2019s other protagonist) are \u201cbrainrot,\u201d arguing that their story is\u00a0alien to\u00a0Russian culture. \u201cCheburashka\u2019s appearance coincides with the transition to\u00a0philistine values and infantilism,\u201d Dugin explained, saying the character\u2019s popularity threatens modern Russia\u2019s fight with the West \u201cfor the right to\u00a0remain in\u00a0history.\u201d Dugin did not mince words, telling radio listeners that Cheburashka \u201cdismantled\u201d the Soviet Union. The production of\u00a0such films is\u00a0\u201csabotage against the revival of\u00a0Russia\u2019s state-civilization,\u201d he\u00a0added. \u201cI\u00a0consider it\u00a0a\u00a0crime.\u201d<\/p>\n Dugin also criticized the first Cheburashka film. In\u00a02023, he\u00a0wrote: \u201cI\u00a0understand that I\u2019m going against everyone here, but Cheburashka is\u00a0absolutely not what Russia needs. We\u00a0do\u00a0not need Cheburashka \u2014 this is\u00a0some kind of\u00a0feeble-mindedness.\u201d Lecturing on\u00a0\u201cRussia\u2019s New Ideology\u201d that same year, he\u00a0said again that he\u00a0despises Cheburashka, describing the creature as\u00a0a\u00a0\u201crootless cosmopolitan\u201d unfit to\u00a0serve as\u00a0a\u00a0national symbol.<\/p>\n Throughout the year, Dugin returned to\u00a0these Cheburashka criticisms again and again. For example, the big-eared, monkey-like character popped up\u00a0in\u00a0his writing about A.I. (\u201cThere is\u00a0nothing viler or\u00a0more deceitful than a\u00a0liberal. They are simply scum. But A.I. is\u00a0not scum; it\u2019s simply artificial. Like, God forgive me, Cheburashka.\u201d) and a\u00a0lecture on\u00a0the decline of\u00a0Russia\u2019s patriotic movement (\u201cLiberals have sharply declined culturally since the [war in\u00a0Ukraine]. But against this backdrop, patriots, alas, have not significantly improved their image. Consider the rabid defense of\u00a0Cheburashka.\u201d) When addressing teenagers in\u00a0Crimea in\u00a0February 2023, Dugin brought up\u00a0Cheburashka<\/a> yet again.<\/p>\n Dugin remained fixated on\u00a0Cheburashka throughout 2025. Last summer, he\u00a0started using the word itself as\u00a0an\u00a0insult, analogous to\u00a0\u201cbuffoon,\u201d against Russians who reject the idea of\u00a0fighting the European Union (\u201cpure Cheburashkas\u201d). He\u00a0also denounced \u201cRussian digitalizers with Cheburashka faces\u201d for introducing American \u201cnetwork weaponization.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The release of\u00a0Cheburashka 2 \u2014 and its enormous box office success \u2014 only reignited Dugin\u2019s rage.<\/p>\n State Duma deputies join the criticism, denouncing the Cheburashka films as\u00a0\u2018cash grabs\u2019<\/p>\n On\u00a0January 14, the State Duma\u2019s Culture Committee convened a\u00a0scheduled session. Attendees included committee head and United Russia member Olga Kazakova; New People party deputy and actor Dmitry Pevtsov; singer and United Russia member Denis Maidanov; actress and Just Russia member Elena Drapeko; United Russia member Alexander Sholokhov (the grandson of\u00a0writer Mikhail Sholokhov), and others.<\/p>\n The participants had planned to\u00a0discuss the selection process for films receiving public funding, but within half an\u00a0hour, the conversation had devolved into a\u00a0debate<\/a> on\u00a0the state of\u00a0Russian cinema. While discussing allocations for children\u2019s movies, the lawmakers began discussing remakes of\u00a0Soviet animated classics. Ivan Musatov, an\u00a0LDPR deputy with no\u00a0professional background in\u00a0the arts, asserted that the production of\u00a0Russia\u2019s children\u2019s entertainment is\u00a0now in\u00a0the hands of\u00a0those \u201cwho couldn\u2019t leave for the West\u201d:<\/p>\n We\u00a0had producers like [Alexander] Rodnyansky, but they\u2019re a\u00a0\u201cfifth column\u201d now \u2014 they went abroad. The ones left are the people who couldn\u2019t get to\u00a0the West, so\u00a0they stayed here. They used to\u00a0film \u201c[Andrey] Zvyagintsev-style\u201d material, but now they\u2019re making fairy tales, getting vast sums of\u00a0money from the Culture Ministry and everyone else to\u00a0pump out these franchises. We\u00a0need to\u00a0filter these people out somehow.<\/p>\n Since the start of\u00a0the full-scale invasion of\u00a0Ukraine, the Russian film industry has seen a\u00a0boom in\u00a0fairy tales. In\u00a0January, moviegoers could purchase tickets not only for Cheburashka 2 but also for Prostokvashino and Buratino. Recent theatrical releases include The Wizard of\u00a0the Emerald City: The Yellow Brick Road, Upon the Pike\u2019s Wish, The Bremen Town Musicians, The Tinderbox, Little Kuzya the House Spirit, and Finist: The First Warrior.<\/p>\n Dmitry Dyachenko, the director of\u00a0the Cheburashka films, has not publicly expressed an\u00a0opinion on\u00a0the war in\u00a0Ukraine \u2014 a\u00a0silence that Duma deputy Ivan Musatov highlighted in\u00a0his remarks. Reflecting on\u00a0his Cheburashka films, Dyachenko said<\/a> last month: \u201cI\u00a0really just want our movie to\u00a0get people out of\u00a0their daily grind, shake things up, and make them realize \u2014 even just for 90 minutes \u2014 that the most important thing in\u00a0life is\u00a0family and our relationships with our children and parents.\u201d<\/p>\n Actor Dmitry Pevtsov, who serves as\u00a0the committee\u2019s first deputy chairman, was even more outspoken. He\u00a0declared that Cheburashka \u201ccorrupts children\u201d and accused filmmakers of\u00a0a\u00a0shameless \u201ccash grab.\u201d Pevtsov also complained that the film lacks role models and positive human characters, and that it\u00a0relies on\u00a0a\u00a0\u201cbadly animated\u201d fictional animal for its moral compass. \u201cWe\u00a0need to\u00a0stop caring what the people think,\u201d he\u00a0said. \u201cI\u2019m speaking cynically, but that\u2019s the situation in\u00a0[Russian] cinema right\u00a0now. What is\u00a0released on\u00a0screens and earns enormous amounts of\u00a0money has nothing to\u00a0do\u00a0with cinema or\u00a0art.\u201d<\/p>\n So, what actually happens in\u00a0this diabolical film?<\/p>\n The plot centers on\u00a0Cheburashka living with Gena (Sergey Garmash). Cheburashka\u2019s attempts to\u00a0help Gena invariably complicate life further. After a\u00a0disagreement, Cheburashka escapes to\u00a0the mountains with friends Sonya and Grisha. Their carefree trip hits all the expected snags, and the adults eventually arrive to\u00a0save everyone. The film concludes with the characters resolving their differences and recognizing the importance of\u00a0listening to\u00a0one another.<\/p>\n The movie is\u00a0a\u00a0joint project of\u00a0the Yellow, Black, and White studio, the online cinema START, and the Rossiya television channel, with additional participation from Soyuzmultfilm and Russia\u2019s Cinema Fund. The film\u2019s distributor is\u00a0Central Partnership (a\u00a0subsidiary of\u00a0Gazprom-Media Holding), with Sber serving as\u00a0the general partner. The movie\u2019s plot is\u00a0not based on\u00a0Eduard Uspensky\u2019s original books; the filmmakers merely adapted only his principal characters.<\/p>\n In\u00a0response to\u00a0Pevtsov\u2019s remarks, Elena Drapeko, an\u00a0actress and deputy from the Just Russia party, proposed annulling Article 9 of\u00a0Russia\u2019s culture law \u2014 a\u00a0move that would allow the Culture Ministry to\u00a0intervene more directly in\u00a0the film industry\u2019s creative process. Today, Article 9 essentially grants Russians the right to\u00a0create art and express themselves freely, prioritizing individual rights in\u00a0this sphere over those of\u00a0the state. Its repeal would potentially open the door to\u00a0even stricter censorship.<\/p>\n Cheburashka\u2019s screenwriter responds to\u00a0the criticism<\/p>\n In\u00a0mid-January, Cheburashka 2 screenwriter Vyacheslav Zub told<\/a> Radio Sputnik that \u201ceveryone has the right to\u00a0their own opinion.\u201d Asked about the backlash to\u00a0the film, Zub remarked, \u201cWe\u00a0all see through the prism of\u00a0what we\u00a0wish to\u00a0see.\u201d Zub said the film\u2019s production team did not intend to\u00a0demonize the main character or\u00a0portray him as\u00a0infantile:<\/p>\n We\u00a0just wanted to\u00a0make something good, teach some kindness, and show people there\u2019s always a\u00a0reason to\u00a0change and be\u00a0nicer and more open. We\u2019re never trying to\u00a0put some deep, hidden meaning into a\u00a0family movie. It\u2019s all pretty simple and on\u00a0the surface: whether somebody\u2019s happy or\u00a0not, they\u2019re always looking for kindness.<\/p>\n In\u00a0a\u00a0rebuttal<\/a> to\u00a0Dmitry Pevtsov\u2019s assertion that the film lacks positive characters, the outlet T-J noted in\u00a0its review that the protagonists are \u201calways in\u00a0the right, the villains are absurd and suffer easy defeats, and everyone adheres to\u00a0their archetypal roles.\u201d The review argues that the characters\u2019 internal conflicts are compelling \u201cbecause everyone here has their own truth.\u201d By\u00a0the end of\u00a0the film, even the cartoonish villain Larion is\u00a0revealed to\u00a0be\u00a0just another \u201cmisunderstood person who just needs love.\u201d<\/p>\n Lidiya Maslova, a\u00a0film critic for Kinopoisk, characterizes<\/a> the movie\u2019s storytelling as\u00a0\u201crepetitive, recycling the same tricks (even verbal gags) over and over, piling up\u00a0the same situations, and ultimately just cloning the main character.\u201d According to\u00a0a\u00a0review<\/a> from the streaming service Okko, the film\u2019s central narrative \u201csplinters into gags and moral lessons, blurring the impression left by\u00a0the key storyline about the family discord between Gena and Cheburashka.\u201d<\/p>\n Currently, the film holds a\u00a0rating of\u00a07.3 on\u00a0Kinopoisk \u2014 a\u00a0minor decline from the first installment\u2019s 7.5 score. Russian celebrities who attended the premiere have rallied behind the movie. Actress Elizaveta Boyarskaya wrote on\u00a0Instagram, \u201cWell, I\u00a0certainly didn\u2019t plan to\u00a0cry like that at\u00a0this movie.\u201d Alexander Lykov, the actor who played the Hunter in\u00a0the film, told Rossiyskaya Gazeta that \u201cRussians would be\u00a0better off hanging homegrown Cheburashkas on\u00a0their bags instead of\u00a0Labubus<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Russia\u2019s domestic box office has a\u00a0rare smash hit. \u201cCheburashka 2,\u201d this year\u2019s sequel to\u00a0the 2023 live-action film adapting…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":257127,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[93,61,60,270,2333,2328,2331,2320,2313,2325,2315,2326,2332,2321,2309,2316,2310,2318,2319,2311,2314,2312,2330,2324,2317,2329,2327,2323,2322],"class_list":["post-257126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-movies","tag-2333","tag-2328","tag-2331","tag-2320","tag-2313","tag-2325","tag-2315","tag-2326","tag-2332","tag-2321","tag-2309","tag-2316","tag-2310","tag-2318","tag-2319","tag-2311","tag-2314","tag-2312","tag-2330","tag-2324","tag-2317","tag-2329","tag-2327","tag-2323","tag-2322"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257126","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=257126"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257126\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/257127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=257126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=257126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=257126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}