Although I generally prefer puppets to animation, yee haw!

In a sign that the local animation industry is returning to form after a prolonged falling-off throughout the 1990s, both Russian films are slated for wide release. "Nutcracker and the Mouse King" (Shchelkunchik i Myshiny Korol) goes out on 190 prints from the prominent international distributor Gemini Film, which broke box-office records this summer with "Night Watch" (Nochnoi Dozor), released, by comparison, on just over 300 prints. Its local rival for attention over the holiday period is "Neznaika and Barrabass," (Neznaika i Barrabass), which appears around the country on 100 copies.