Inessa Kovalevskaya facts for kids

Inessa Alekseyevna Kovalevskaya, born on March 1, 1933, is a famous Russian animation director. She worked at a well-known studio called Soyuzmultfilm. Inessa Kovalevskaya is especially known for her musical animated films. Her most famous work is The Bremen Town Musicians. She is also a member of ASIFA, an international animation group. In 2002, she was honored as a Merited Art Worker of the Russian Federation.

Early Life and Education

Growing Up in Moscow

Inessa Kovalevskaya was born in Moscow, the capital city. Her parents were Lyudmila Petrovna Kovalevskaya and Aleksey Ivanovich Kovalevsky. Her father was a respected major general and a historian. He also directed important military and social academies.

Choosing a Path in Arts

After finishing school, Inessa wanted to study at Moscow State University. Even though she passed the entrance exams, she faced difficulties getting in. She then studied at the Moscow Region State University for two years. During this time, she also took art and drama classes.

Later, she spent two years learning to be a theater director. This was at the famous Moscow Art Theatre School. In 1954, she went to the Lunacharsky State Institute for Theatre Arts. Here, she studied to become a theater historian. She graduated in 1958.

Starting Her Career

After graduating, Inessa worked as an editor for films in Moldova. This job lasted until 1961. She was then asked to oversee the Soyuzmultfilm studio. However, she decided to attend special courses for film directors. In 1964, she joined Soyuzmultfilm as an animation director.

Inessa had loved music since she was a child. She always dreamed of making musical films. Her first short film, Automaton (1965), used stop motion animation. But she soon switched to traditional animation. This allowed her to use many different types of music in her films. She often worked with composer Gennady Gladkov and songwriter Yuri Entin. The actor and singer Oleg Anofriyev also performed many voices in her films.

The Bremen Town Musicians

A Musical Adventure

In 1969, Inessa Kovalevskaya created her most famous film. It was called The Bremen Town Musicians. This film was loosely based on a story by the Brothers Grimm. It also included elements of rock and roll and hippie culture. These styles were not common in the Soviet Union at the time.

Challenges and Success

The film's release faced some delays. A record with all the songs was supposed to come out first. But the record label, Melodiya, held it back for nine months. The songwriter, Yuri Entin, later shared that he had to sign for the director to get the record released. When it finally came out, it was a huge hit! It sold 28 million copies across the country.

Some people on the artistic council were not happy about its success. However, the film was eventually approved and released. It became incredibly popular. The Bremen Town Musicians became a cultural phenomenon. It helped launch the careers of its creators. It also introduced the idea of musicals to Soviet cinema.

Missed Opportunities

The film was so good that the State Committee for Cinematography wanted to send it to a film festival in Berlin. But they changed their minds at the last minute. Inessa Kovalevskaya wrote in her memoirs that this was not due to censorship. Instead, another animator used their influence to stop the nomination. Because of this, the film was not shown at any festivals.

After this, Inessa started having problems at the studio. When the same team offered her to direct a sequel, she said no. The sequel, On the Trail of the Bremen Town Musicians, was directed by Vasily Livanov in 1973.

Later Career and Legacy

More Popular Musical Shorts

Inessa Kovalevskaya continued to make musical short films. She focused on stories for younger children. Films like Katerok (or Little Motorboat) (1970) and How the Lion Cub and the Turtle Sang a Song (1974) became very popular. Her films The Tale of the Priest and of His Workman Balda (1973), At Port (1975), and Chuchello-Meowchello (1982) were also loved. The songs from these cartoons were often released as records and performed by pop artists.

Classical Music Animations

Since 1976, she directed "musical fantasies." These films were based on pieces by famous Russian classical composers. Examples include Children's Album by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky. These educational films were shown on television. In 1993, she adapted music by Edvard Grieg into The Gnomes and the Mountain King.

Writing and Recognition

During the 1990s, Inessa Kovalevskaya played an important role in managing Soyuzmultfilm. She helped protect the studio during a difficult time for Russian animation.

She also wrote screenplays for many of her cartoons. She created various radio shows and wrote several fairy tale books. She even wrote a book of memoirs about The Bremen Town Musicians. In 2002, she was named a Merited Art Worker of the Russian Federation. In 2015, she received a special prize at the first Icarus National Animation Award.

Selected Filmography

See also

• History of Russian animation