December 09, 2025

New Year, Same Old Movies


New Year, Same Old Movies
Who needs new stories? Russian Life Files

A strong lineup of domestically-produced Russian family films and comedies is set to be released on New Year's Day. But of note is the fact that many of these movies remake, rehash, or allude to existing Soviet stories.

The most awaited among viewers is a live-action remake of "Three from Prostokvashino", called "Prostokvashino". Like many popular Soviet cartoons, the story is based on a children’s book, Uncle "Fedya, His Dog, and His Cat." The story of a boy who escapes to the countryside was continued in several sequels and even a 2018 television series. The 2026 film is expected to be an almost exact remake of the original, albeit leaning heavily on Soviet nostalgia.

The second major family picture to be released on January 1 is "Cheburashka 2", the sequel to a 2023 film. "Cheburashka" was the highest-grossing domestic film that year, further fueling anticipation for this sequel. Both parts are very loose adaptations of the beloved Soviet cartoon and book by Eduard Uspensky.

The next is "Buratino", a familiar story about a wooden boy who comes to life, which was wildly popular in the Soviet Union. Alexei Tolstoy wrote "The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Buratino", in 1936 as a translation and adaptation of the original Italian "Adventures of Pinocchio." The tale has been endlessly remade in the USSR and Russia. The book had several film adaptations, including a 1975 musical and a 2022 animated film, "Pinocchio: A True Story" (which ironically became an internet sensation and LGBTQ+ icon for its lively American dub).

Older audiences may consider the military comedy "For Palych 2", the continuation of a story about a man who must enter compulsory military service for re-education. The village hijinks and reunion of aging Soviet paratroopers are sure to bring the laughs.

Nearly all of these New Year's releases are comedies, continuations, and remakes. Other high-profile family films released in 2026 are expected to follow suit. At least two upcoming films are based on Russian fairy tales ("Morozko" and "The Tale of Tsar Saltan"), and another family film is the sequel to a remake of a Soviet cartoon ("Domovyonok Kuzya").

The number of sequels and legacy characters returning to the big screen seems indicative of an internal search for domestic, authentically Russian stories. Nostalgia for Soviet classics is high (likely due to some nasty events currently wracking Russia), and with this in mind, it should only be a matter of time before the New Year’s favorite "The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath", gets a big-budget remake. We hope.

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