Treasures of Soviet Animation - Deluxe Edition (Blu-ray) ***Preorder*** 5/31

THE MYSTERY OF THE THIRD PLANET (TAYNA TRETEY PLANETY), 1981, Soyuzmultfilm, 48 min. Dir. Roman Kachanov. A trio of intrepid space explorers, Professor Seleznyov, his 9-year old daughter Alisa and the hilariously doom-and-gloom Captain Zelyonyy set off on a rocket ship in the year 2181 to collect rare alien creatures for the Moscow Zoo. They’re immediately drawn into an amazingly convoluted mystery involving a sinister doctor named Verkhovtsev, a nearly-extinct Chatter-bird, and two legendary missing cosmonauts, while galaxy hopping from one wildly colorful planet to the next. A delirious cosmic treat for fans of FANTASTIC PLANET and DELTA SPACE MISSION, MYSTERY… features a gallery of psychedelic space creatures straight out of YELLOW SUBMARINE. Based on “Alisa’s Voyage” by famed sci-fi author Kir Bulychev, Kachanov’s long sought-after gem packs enough plot, surreal imagery, and otherworldly worlds into its 48 minutes for an entire mini-series. In Russian with English subtitles.

THE RETURN (VOZVRASHCHENIE), 1980, Soyuzmultfilm, 10 min. – In Vladimir Tarasov's mind bending psychedelic masterpiece, a sleeping cosmonaut hurtles unaware towards his home planet -- but will he awake in time? Newly restored by Deaf Crocodile.

THE PASS (PEREVAL), 1988, Soyuzmultfilm, 30 min. “On this night, Oleg was on duty near the fence … He sensed the emptiness and the routine. Three times people went to the Pass. It was all in vain.” So begins Russian director Vladimir Tarasov’s sublime masterpiece of animated sci-fi in which a group of terrified human survivors on an alien world try to reach their derelict spacecraft 16 years after it crashed. On par with Tarkovsky’s SOLARIS and STALKER as one of the most hypnotic and visually stunning science-fiction stories ever filmed, THE PASS is filled with cascading, pulsating images: night creatures that bleed in from the darkness to attack, a cat’s eyes flickering in the candlelight, frightened children reciting stories of another planet, another time. THE PASS is the longest of Tarasov’s works and arguably his finest achievement, adapted from the first chapter in sci-fi author Kir Bulychev’s novel “The Settlement.” Both films were newly restored by Deaf Crocodile for their first-ever U.S. Blu-ray release. Co-presented with Seagull Films. In Russian with English subtitles.

Special Features:

• Two new video essays on Roman Kachanov and Vladimir Tarasov by film historian Evan Chester
• New commentary track by Adam Rackoff, James Hancock and Martin Kessler
• New artwork by Beth Morris.
• Blu-ray authoring by David Mackenzie of Fidelity In Motion

Deluxe Edition Bonus Content:

• Limited to 1250 units
• Slipcase featuring new artwork by Haleigh Buck
• 60-page illustrated book
• New essay by film historian & professor Jennifer Lynde Barker
• New essay by film critic Walter Chaw (Film Freak Central)