Vypusk 8

Originally started as a "Tom and Jerry" wannabe, the series evolved into a completely different phenomenon. The chases, spills and cartoon character mangling are still there- but the series are also a poignant social satire. The Wolf is a chain-smoking motorcycle-riding beer-guzzling proletarian. The Rabbit has all the childish innocence and enthusiasm of properly raised Soviet youth- and yet displays odd homoerotic tendencies that were obviously missed by the government censors.

The soundtrack is a medley of pop tunes, each providing a commentary on the action and (to a person knowledgeable in '70s Soviet pop-music) is often funnier then the action. The few original pieces written for the show were performed by (at the time) the only Electronic Instruments Orchestra in Russia (featuring weird analog synthesizers, theremins and other interesting devices).

Hare, Wolf

New Year's song by Gennady Gladkov based on verses by Jury Entin.

After Anatoli Papanov's death, his voice was sampled and used in later series.

The full series has been released on VHS and VCD and is available in many stores that carry Eastern European books and videos. There is almost no dialogue, so it remains understandable by people who speak no Russian (although non-Russians are unlikely to get the "easter egg gags" hidden in the soundtrack and obscure pop-culture references (which are plentiful)).

Best Film, Soyuzmultfilm Program, Kishinev, 1975