Anastasia (Anastasia)
Out of all characters in this take on the Russian royal family, Anastasia is the obvious choice. The cartoon tells the tale of an ill-fated Russian princess who miraculously survives an attack on her family but ends up in an orphanage, having no memories of her past. Starting off as a mischievous kid, Anastasia grows into a strong and a tad sassy young woman who is determined to find her family and bravely faces any hardships that come her way, while also keeping that playfulness in herself.
Boris (Balto)
Boris, or Boris Goosinov, is unarguably the heart of comedy in Balto. He is a Russian goose, born and raised; in Alaska, he finds and adopts Balto, then still a pup, and later on takes in two little bears, as well. Boris comes off as grumpy, irritated, and sarcastic, but at the same time, he is also wise and truthful. Family means everything to him; he wishes only the best for his “children” (even if it means talking Balto out of risking his life to deliver much-needed medicine through a blizzard) and shows unending faith in them despite anything.
Billy Boss (The Aristocats)
They may not be in the lead, but the jazz band from The Aristocats definitely steals the spotlight with their anthem Everybody Wants to Be a Cat. The band isn’t only multi-instrumental but also multinational: they’ve got an English cat, an Italian cat, an Asian cat, and a Russian cat. The latter, named Billy Boss, is a hefty Russian Blue who speaks with the corresponding accent, plays the double bass, and turns into a hero, along with his fellow band members, to defeat the evil butler.
Mr. Bobinsky (Coraline)
Coraline is quite a cartoon, and Mr. Bobinsky, Coraline’s upstairs neighbor, is quite a character. He is eerie, gigantic, and blue-skinned. He has a temper, a jumping mouse circus, and no patience whatsoever. That said, he goes out of his way to help Coraline out whenever she’s in danger, even if not directly. Though it isn’t clearly stated, he seems to be of Soviet origin; he speaks in a heavy accent, muttering words like “сыр” (“cheese”) or “до свидания” (“goodbye”) one too many times, he wears a medal awarded to Chernobyl liquidators, and has a flag resembling the Russian coat of arms hanging outside his house.
Vitaly (Madagascar 3)
In Madagascar 3, Vitaly is a Siberian tiger who Alex, Marty, Gloria, and Melman meet when trying to escape an animal control officer. He first appears to be hostile to the four; but with time, the gang learns that Vitaly used to be the biggest circus star until he withdrew into himself when he failed to perform his signature trick. However, after Alex gives him a powerful pre-stage pep talk, Vitaly does the “impossible” trick and regains not only his confidence but also his spark for life.
If you enjoy animation, here you will find a pageful of cartoon stories to fit any mood, season, and even language level.
Title image credit: Niranjan _ Photographs (@niranjan_photographs) via Unsplash
