Soyuzmultfilm's Thumbelina is significant for being the first animated version of the story, and to this day it's the best. From memory the 1983 anime version was very affecting, Golden Films' was very charming and one of that studio's best while Don Bluth's film is not quite as bad as it's touted to be but has things wrong with it. This version, a short film in fact, is not just beautifully done but has emotional impact too. The animation is vibrantly coloured and elegant, showing a lot of effort but not trying too hard. The music is understated and with a soft lilt with a distinctive nationalistic quality to it. The dialogue is minimal which suited the story just right, it allows the storytelling and its emotional impact to come out. When it is there it is effective in how simple it is. The story is very charming and true in spirit to the fairy-tale, and it is also very touching. Thumbelina is a protagonist you can relate to and the supporting characters are colourfully characterised. All in all, the first animated version of Thumbelina and the best one too. Not one of Soyuzmultfilm's very best like Tale of Tales, Hedgehog in the Fog, The Snow Queen and The Scarlet Flower(Russia's take on the Beauty and the Beast story), but not a disappointment either, in fact I've yet to see an animation of theirs to disappoint. 10/10 Bethany Cox
