Lobo Pateta

I recently saw an episode of "Nu, Pogodi!" on a local multicultural TV station, & found it to be hilarious, ironic, & enigmatic. This resulted in my buying the complete collection on DVD. Many people attempt to compare this to the "Road Runner/Coyote" series or to "Tom & Jerry." While the basic premise is the same (hungry Wolf is chasing Hare), this series is far different from what Americans are accustomed. Wolf usually is smoking a cigarette (which usually adds to his situation), has a beer belly, & even consumes alcohol to the point of intoxication; this is all shown right on screen.

Another factor which differentiates "Nu, Pogodi!" from other cartoons, is that the background music isn't orchestrated for the cartoon series, but rather popular Russian/contemporary songs are incorporated. You will hear popular music from the time that particular cartoon was made (18 were made from 1969--1993). Wolf will be chasing Hare in an episode from the late 1970s, while a disco tune is playing; another episode from 1984 contains techno/pop music from that particular time period. The visual effects are set to the music, which allows for some comical moments!

Most cartoons (or any story, for that matter) follow the view of the protagonist (hero) & how that character resorts to escape or rescue. "Nu, Pogodi!," however, follows it from the view of the antagonist, Wolf, & allows himself to show how inept he is at obtaining his goal. Whereas the Coyote is presumed to be sober while chasing the Road Runner, Wolf has displayed otherwise, & his intoxication only adds to his ineptitude.

As an American who does not know any Russian, I did not find the language barrier to be any problem; there is very little dialogue uttered in "Nu, Pogodi!" All one needs to know to understand this series are the following: "Zayats" means "Hare", "Volk" means "Wolf," & "Nu, Pogodi" means "Just you wait, I'll get you," in Russian. This makes up for over 90% of the dialogue in the series.

I would rate this a 10 out of 10; it is a definite must-see!

You have to be Russian to truly appreciate this cartoon series. I first saw these cartoons up to episode 5 on 8mm film no sound. I still have these films around (although damaged from time) from 1974 when I left the Soviet Union for good. You have to understand that these cartoons were made from behind the iron curtain. Soviet cartoon making technology was far behind the US, and US cartoons were not available to Soviet artists for comparison. How could they be available if the soviet government made it a point to spread propaganda that Communist life is the USSR was better? Besides the adventures in the chase for the rabbit you see nostalgic elements of Russian urban, and suburb life. You see things like the electric troly buses, public drinking dispensers for carbonated water with one public glass that is washed prior to use, the 1982 Olympics and Russia's enthusiasm with good sportsmanship, typical soviet beaches, and attitude by hoodlums towards the law. Where else can you find a children's cartoon where the bad wolf smokes cigarettes, drinks beer while eating dried salted fish, steals and vandalizes property? One can't help but fall in love with both the hero and villain. I recently purchased the DVD of all 18 classic episodes 13 of which I waited 25 years to see and now with sound. I plan to have my kids watch these cartoons before they find the remote control to the TV so they too can appreciate what life was like for Russian children in the Soviet union.

This is the greatest cartoon to ever come out of USSR. It is similar to Tom and Jerry, and you don't even need to understand Russian to enjoy this great feature. Problem is finding any of it here in America...If anyone knows where I can get it, please email me.

So I think everybody here will agree with me that these are the one of the very best animation films ever made in Soviet Union. So if you are understanding Russian language I can recommend to see them!

While there are only two main heroes in all series - Wolf and Hare this is amazing work of Soviet times animation masters. In fact these series are a little bit similar to Tom and Jerry series. Only they are not so much pain for bad hero - Wolf.

Probably inspired by the American "Tom and Jerry" and "Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote" cartoons, the Russian animated series "Nu, pogodi!" features the smoking, beer-gutted, rebellious Volk (wolf) and his futile attempts to capture and eat the innocent young Zayats (hare). The first cartoon of the series was released in 1969, the second in 1970 and the series continued for sixteen episodes until the death of Anatoli Papanov, the voice of the wolf, in 1987. In 1993, two more episodes were produced featuring archived samples of Papanov's voice.

Though the cartoons are in Russian, dialogue within the films is scarce, rarely stretching beyond the wolf's trademark "Nu, zayats, nu pogodi! / Hare, just you wait!", which he utters every time his plans fail, and which you'll pick up on very quickly. Each ten-minute episode takes place in a different setting, and the wolf attempts to utilise the current situation to capture the hare (voiced by Klara Rumyanova) and presumably make a good meal out of her. Alas, these attempts are almost always in vain, with the hare constantly outsmarting the desperate wolf, either deliberately or inadvertently. Just like in your typical 'Roadrunner' cartoon, our sympathies are split between the characters – we certainly don't want the young innocent hare to be devoured, but we do feel sorry for the wolf as his endeavors fail miserably time after time.

I'm yet to see all the episodes in the series (I've really just started, in fact), but I'm enjoying it immensely, and each adventure brings forth something different and exciting. Somewhat uniquely, 'Nu, pogodi!' often sets its story to the tune of popular pop hits from the era in which it was made, so approximate dates of release can be pinpointed for any given episode based purely on the music selection. I also uncovered an interesting piece of trivia about the series. Initially, Russian singer/actor Vladimir Vysotsky was cast as the voice of the wolf, but Soviet cinema authorities did not give the studio their approval to use him, as he was not popular amongst the Communist party elite. As we know, Anatoli Papanov went on to become the voice of the wolf, though the cartoon's producers possibly included a slight tribute to Vysotsky by playing a sample of his well-known "Song about a Friend" ("Pesnya o Druge" in Russian) at the very beginning of the first episode.