The creator of the animated saga was inspired by a trip to Crimea.
Netflix has acquired two more seasons of the Russian animated series 'Masha and the Bear' and extended its agreement for previous seasons and spin-offs of the popular show, Deadline reports.
The streaming service has obtained rights to the eighth and ninth seasons of the animated series and retained rights to stream the other seven seasons and the spin-offs 'Masha's Tales' and 'Masha's Scary Tales'.
Animaccord reported that in the new episodes, Masha will go to kindergarten for the first time, and the Yeti family will appear in the winter episodes. The studio also announces new, significant plot lines for the characters.
The agreement gives Netflix the rights to stream 'Masha and the Bear' in over 100 countries, including the USA, Canada, France, Portugal, India, Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia. The rights also extend to the Middle East and Latin America.
Animaccord was founded by Oleg Kuzovkov from scratch in 2008. The show 'Masha and the Bear' is incredibly popular on YouTube, and one of its episodes is the most viewed non-music video on the platform: the episode titled 'Masha and the Bear: Recipe for Disaster' has garnered over 4.6 billion views.
Earlier, Variety reported that the creator of the popular 3D animated series 'Masha and the Bear', Oleg Kuzovkov, will be producing the first original feature film based on the animated series. Production is planned to be completed by the end of 2028.
The animated series 'Masha and the Bear', created in 2009, is still loved and watched around the world — but few know that the creator of the legendary characters, Oleg Kuzovkov, was born 65 years ago and grew up in the Urals.
— Do you remember your first animation?
— How could I forget? Of course, I remember — the task 'Ball' in the animation courses at 'Pilot'. The task was to draw how a ball rolls across a table and, bouncing a few times, rolls away. For a couple of days, together with my three-year-old son, we rolled all his balls in every possible way. Then I spent several days drawing, shading shadows, and so on. For this, I was rewarded with the miracle of animation — on the editing table screen, the ball really rolled and bounced. I have never created anything cooler than that.
— After that, you moved to Los Angeles. What projects did you work on abroad?
— It wasn't all that quick. After several years at 'Pilot', Vladik Barbe (animator of 'The Last Year's Snow Fell' and director of 'The Box with Pencils' and much more) and I organized the studio 'Classics', then there was the studio 'Nils', where Slava Ushakov and I made 'Man and Cat', and only after the financial crisis in August 1998 did I end up in Los Angeles.
— What inspired you to create the characters of 'Masha and the Bear'?
— A trip with friends to Crimea. A two-meter tall dad was constantly chasing his little daughter all over the beach. It was a very comical picture, inspiring.
— What do you think about some strange theories about 'Masha and the Bear'? For example, there is a version that Masha is a ghost who is taking revenge on the Bear for her death.
— I don't think about it at all. A side effect of popularity. I definitely do not intend to refute it.
— Many children start to imitate Masha after watching the animated series. Have you often faced criticism from parents?
— It’s who imitates whom. The series is made by proud parents of restless children. There are plenty of lines from the real lives of real kids. I immortalized my restless sister a few times in my childhood.
