Cheburashka (2010)
The film based on the book by Eduard Uspensky "Crocodile Gena and his friends". Crocodile Gena works in a zoo - a crocodile. Every evening he returns home to his lonely apartment. Finally he tired of playing with himself in chess, and Gene decides to make friends. On the ads pasted around the city, responding animals and people. First comes a girl with a homeless puppy Gal, followed by the Cheburashka...
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I saw this with my daughter last year at the Cannes Film Festival and was was completely blown away. It was visually stunning and just beautiful to look at. Besides this, the stories (I think there were 3 episodes) were more compelling than any children's series I've seen on TV. These were well thought-out stories and real characters that you came got to love; the lonely crocodile and the strange, orphaned creature, Cheburashka and the friendship they develop. The Russian-Japanese collaboration is obviously a great mix. The sets are superb and the characters so real you forget they're models. I would like to add that I saw this with my six-year old daughter, who not only sat glued to the story for over and hour and half, but asked questions (mummy are mister crocodile and Cheburashka going to the circus?) was totally engaged and came out raving about it...even though she doesn't speak Russian. I hope this picks up distribution in every country in the world and hope to see it again when it comes to my local cinema!