Modern Ukrainian cartoons that are worth watching with children

We have collected ten cartoons in the Ukrainian language that were created in recent years and are suitable for viewing with children or the whole family. The premieres of two of them will take place in 2023. At the moment the whole world is waiting for them. It is also worth noting that due to the lack of adequate funding and the dominance of the Russian language, domestic cinema developed at a somewhat reduced pace. But already now our animators make cool films with 3D animation and conquer millions of viewers.

Mavka. The Forest Song, 2023

The full-length animated 3D film was supposed to be released last December, but the war changed the plans. The premiere of the cartoon, which was filmed in cooperation with the USA, was postponed to 2023. Now you can watch only the trailer based on the work of the same name by Lesya Ukrainka. “Mavka” is considered the most expensive Ukrainian cartoon, the budget of which amounted to almost 200 million hryvnias, and dozens of countries have already acquired permission to rent it. So we’ll be looking forward to the release.

23 images of Petryk Pyatochkin, 2023

The continuation of the Ukrainian cartoon “How Petryk Pyatochkin counted elephants” from 1984, based on the book by Natalia Guzeeva, is also planned for 2023. Its premiere was postponed due to Russian aggression in Ukraine. The full-length modern cartoon in Ukrainian tells about the schoolboy Petryk. Taking offense at his classmates, he dreams of revenge. Under magical conditions, his thoughts turn into reality: children disappear from our world and end up in the fictional country of Barony. The boy realizes what mistake he made and goes to the rescue.

Clara and the Magic Dragon, 2019

Modern Ukrainian cartoon in the style of fantasy directed by Oleksandr Klymenko about the adventures of a girl Clara, who tries to save a cute and friendly dragon from the forces of evil. It took more than 3 years to create a fully animated 3D version of the cartoon. First, the cartoon was released in English, then it was dubbed into Ukrainian. The songs for “Klara” were created by the band Pur-Pur. The cartoon was criticized for its primitive script but noted for its cool animation.

The Stolen Princess, 2018

Ukrainian 3D animated fantasy film based on Pushkin’s fairy tale “Ruslan and Lyudmila”. The cartoon tells the story of the traveling artist Ruslan, who has to rescue Princess Mila, who was kidnapped by the Black Sea. The film was also shot in English. Nadia Dorofeeva, Serhiy Prytula, Yurii Gorbunov, Dmytro Monatik, Fagot, and other famous Ukrainians gave their voices to the Ukrainian version.

Cossacks Around the world, 2018

A three-episode continuation of the famous Ukrainian animated series about three Cossack boys Oko, Tur, and Gray, who this time goes on a trip to different countries of the world, namely visiting India, Australia, and the USA. The boys teach Indians to play the flute, learn about Hollywood film production and get to the Australian jungle.

The Dragon Spell, 2016

Modern Ukrainian 3D fantasy cartoon based on Anton Siyanika’s fairy tale. The movie tells the story of the hero’s son who saves the world from the dragon. Since the film was nominated for an Oscar, the script was written in English. Later, dubbing was done in Ukrainian. Ruslana Pysanka, Viktor Andrienko, Serhii Syvoho, Vasyl Virastyuk, and others gave their voices to the heroes.

Eskimoska, cartoon series, 2012-2016

The first modern Ukrainian animated series, for the creation of which 3D technologies were used. For almost five years of its existence, four seasons of the cartoon, which tells about the life of an Eskimo girl and her family, were released. Every day she fishes in the bay with her friends, where she finds mysterious things and tries to learn their history. Of course, Eskimoska gets into a lot of funny situations.

The Adventures of Kotygoroshko and His Friends, 4 series, 2013

Another modern cartoon series for children in the Ukrainian language. Director Yaroslava Rudenko-Shvedova notes that, firstly, this is a fun cartoon created for children and adults based on folklore. It was conceived in such a way that both parents and children would smile while watching it.

An interesting fact: many people do not know that the cartoon “Buba” popular all over the world is Ukrainian. In 2014, it was created by self-taught 3D animator Serhii Horobets. Production was transferred to Moscow without Serhiy’s knowledge after the Revolution of Dignity. Horobets refused to go to work in Russia and is currently working on a new project Rattik, which you and your children can watch on Youtube.

Babai, 2014

The first Ukrainian full-length animated film that was released in wide distribution. The cartoon tells the story of a girl who is looking for her parents, who were kidnapped by Babai. Ukrainian cartoons are full of humor and bright colors. The age limit of 6+ does not mean that adults will not enjoy watching it – this is a great spectacle for the whole family, where the most unexpected characters of folklore gather in one story.

My country Ukraine, TV series, 2010

Animated fairy tale informative plasticized cartoon series in Ukrainian. It consists of 26 three-minute series, each of which tells a story, a fairy tale, or a legend about different parts of Ukraine: big cities and small villages, seas, rivers, and mountains. Suitable for children who are just getting acquainted with the history of their native country. And it will be useful for adults too. In 2014, the cartoon won the award for the best screenplay at the Berlinale film festival.