A couple of weeks ago I'd posted an overtly though by no means crassly political short film by venerable Russian animator Fyodor Khitruk, who turned 93 this month. I remember reading somewhere that Khitruk had been dubbed 'the Russian Disney', which may be a compliment if it reflects his popularity in his native Russia, but it definitely underrates him if the comparison refers to his technique and aesthetic. Don't get me wrong; I love the old Disney, anything pre-Pocahontas and pre-Lion King. But then I love pulp comics and kitschy ads for what they are, not for their artistic merit.

Khitruk's design and colours are beautiful; no hint of the Technicolor aesthetic about them. You could call them 'cute', if you don't abhor that word, but there's nothing cloyingly sweet about them. Unfortunately, this short film has no English subtitles, just the original voice-over in Russian. But the tale is simple, and the images so lovely that I didn't mind a bit. The film won the Bronze Lion of the 1964 Venice Film Festival.

Fyodor Khitruk - Топтыжка (Toptyzhka), aka 'Little Stomper' (1964)