AI Reimagines Classic Soviet Stories Into New Animated Series
ON Media is launching new projects created with artificial intelligence. The first releases will be animated series “Pro devochku Veru i obezyanku Anfisu” (About the Girl Vera and the Monkey Anfisa) and “Sledstvie vedut Kolobki” (The Koloboks Investigate), based on works by writer Eduard Uspensky.
The productions are led by director Georgy Melik-Allakhverdov, screenwriter Andrey Gavrilov, and a team of around 30 specialists, ranging from prompt engineers to animation artists and editors.
Stories of Vera, Anfisa and the Koloboks
Each series will include 52 episodes, each running about 3.5 minutes. The use of AI has already reduced production costs by roughly half. The series will premiere exclusively on the KION streaming platform and will also air on children’s TV channels JAM Kids and Family Jam.
Because the projects are based on literary classics, intellectual property rights remain a key consideration. ON Media says it has secured an exclusive license to adapt several works by Eduard Uspensky.
Industry participants point to rising costs in traditional animation, driven by more expensive software and technology, as well as a shortage of skilled talent. In that context, ON Media says AI is emerging as a practical tool that addresses several of these challenges at once.
A Hybrid Production Model
Over the past two years, AI tools have moved from experimentation to practical use and are now actively integrated into production workflows. For example, the company Start produced the “neurocomedy” Feofan, where the entire visual layer, including characters, was generated using AI.
The animation studio Soyuzmultfilm has also announced plans to transition to a hybrid production model that combines traditional animation with AI technologies. This shift reflects changing audience consumption habits. In practice, AI is becoming a competitive tool that helps increase productivity while keeping content visually and culturally relevant.
Modern Russian animation continues to attract strong audience interest. The industry has increasingly replaced imported content, with more than 10 full-length animated films and a similar number of special premieres released annually in Russia.
Russian animation also shows strong export potential. Domestic brands remain leaders in audiovisual exports, with animation accounting for 76% of total exports in 2024. In that environment, adopting new technologies could give producers an edge, including in competition with Western studios.
A Signal of Maturing AI Production
Audiences are likely to follow ON Media’s upcoming releases closely, particularly given the lasting popularity of the Soviet animated series “Sledstvie vedut Kolobki.” More broadly, this case suggests that AI in Russia is moving from isolated experiments toward becoming a scalable production tool for creative industries. That shift is already driving demand for applied solutions, including image generation, preproduction, editing, voice synthesis, and pipeline automation.
Experts expect Russian media companies to continue developing hybrid production models, where AI handles routine and preparatory tasks while humans retain control over storytelling, quality, and brand identity. Human involvement remains especially important in children’s content, where ethical considerations and cultural values are critical.
At the same time, the main risk for AI-driven projects remains product quality, both in visual execution and narrative content. The performance of these new animated series is likely to serve as a benchmark for the maturity of Russia’s AI-first production pipeline.
