A Cartoon That's Lost Its Way

I'll be honest, I went back and watched this old cartoon, and it's still a bit of a mystery to me. I mean, it's been a week since I started watching it, and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it.

I'm a total sucker for Soviet cartoons, and this one's no exception. I love the vibe, you know?

It's no secret that Soviet cartoons were meant to shape our values and morals. They were trying to make us into good little citizens, and it shows.

So, I guess you could say I turned out okay, despite their best efforts. I mean, I'm not perfect, but I'm decent, right? I even thought I was pretty well-adjusted for a while there. But then I saw "Собачье сердце" 1988, and suddenly I'm questioning everything. I mean, after about 37 viewings, I started to feel like I was just a weak, unformed thing, and those words from Professor Preobrazhensky really stuck with me.

"You're still just a forming, weak-minded creature," he said.

A 1988 film adaptation of 'Heart of a Dog'. The meme says: You're still just a weak, mentally fragile creature So, Bulgakov, Bortko, and Evstigneyev, along with their whole motley crew, made it crystal clear to me that all the good cartoons I'd learned from my childhood couldn't calm down my inner demons.

Or teach me to be ultra-submissive, like a 100% follower of Leo Tolstoy's 'non-resistance to evil by violence'. As the cat Leopold would say?

The cat Leopold meme: Let's live in harmony, guys! And in the end, it turned out that I might not be too keen on being 'polite' or 'well-behaved'. What even is 'politeness' anyway? Is it just another manipulation with a bunch of unanswered questions???

Take 'being polite', for instance. It means 'compromising' and 'being patient'. What does that even mean? Pretending to be someone you're not, being like playdough, and being a doormat? There's more to it, like pretending to be nice, making empty compliments, and all that 'please and thank you' stuff.

I've watched this cartoon at different stages of my life. It first hit the screens in 1982 when I was eight years old. Maybe I've outgrown this sort of nursery-school nonsense by now? But back then, I didn't find anything annoying in the cartoon – it was even kind of interesting, although not particularly.

The same 'Leopold the Cat' was way more appealing to me. That's mainly due to the humor, I reckon. In 'The Lost and Found Office', he's not that great, and the humor's pretty unamusing – more like primitive, with a hint of sadness. I didn't pay much attention to the voice acting back then: they're just doing something, and that's fine.

Soviet TV was broadcasting 'The Lost and Found Office' extensively, and for two years, new episodes kept popping up. There are four episodes in total. Each episode is ridiculously short – about eight minutes on average. Every episode is a self-contained story, almost like a mini-film.

Given that the cartoon's about a lost and found office, it's only logical that the plot revolves around lost-and-found stuff – you know, lost-and-found, found-and-returned. That's the nature of things, and that's what the lost and found office is all about. However, the standard formula only lasted for two episodes. From then on, the local matrix went haywire, and the lost and found office started pushing for a name change – to 'Tishkin's Detective Agency', no less.

I have to say, the most memorable part of this whole experience is this old guy who still wears slippers in the summer. It's clear they wanted to add a touch of coziness to the character. I mean, who wouldn't want to wear slippers in the summer?

This old guy is not only kind but also well-mannered, to the point where he still works in a dusty office on his pension and runs a chaotic household. The dustiness of the office is a testament to the parrot, Sapanich, and the chaos is a testament to all the characters combined.

This old guy's interests are pretty intense, but what drives this lovable, well-mannered, and cozy character? I won't go into all the 'motivations' and 'drivers' now, as it would be a long and serious discussion. I've already covered all the 'drivers' in my review of the movie "The Intern" 2015, where the Hollywood stars really shone.

Again, this is all just a stream of my 'unrefined' thoughts. Who would dare question the sincerity of someone's actions? Whether it's a cartoonish old guy in slippers and on pension, a talking dog, or someone else.

Now that I'm getting up there in years, I'm reminded of my granddad's age - you know, the one who wore those iconic valenki boots? These days, I only enjoy the song from 'The Bureau of Finds'. And even that's mainly because of its catchy melody. To be honest, there's one line that really stands out to me:

But please, don't lose your sense of humor.

To be frank, this movie has become a bit of a chaotic mess for me. It's nowhere near as timeless as 'Cheburashka' or 'Winnie-the-Pooh'. And if you take a closer look, you'll notice that same chaos in those classic stories too. But that's exactly what makes 'Cheburashka' and 'Winnie-the-Pooh' so great. film "Beregись avtomobil" 1966. Meme: — Etá nogá — u toho, u kogo nado nogá The main thing here, in all this cartoon chaos, is the humor and memes. Winnie-the-Pooh and Cheburashka are basically just a string of different memes - some serious, some funny. And humor itself is a whole different topic. As for 'The Bureau of Finds', I just didn't find any humor or memes in it.I was really disappointed by the annoying sounds in this movie. I mean, who's going to criticize the work of Georgy Vitsin? He's the one who voiced the parrot in the film. Vitsin's a great actor, and almost every line he's in is a meme, but here he overdid it. Okay, that's just my unrefined opinion.

Anyway, cartoons are all different. And everything's different, too. And people's attitudes change. Having a cozy old man in valenki in a Soviet cartoon, and Vitsin's voice, didn't automatically make me go wild with excitement.

Younger kids might find the local animated gems interesting. But for me, this combination just started to get on my nerves as I got older: there's just too much going on here.

So, the final episode of this detective adventure went against my grain. What did they do with the Forty? They made it live in its cozy little house, and drag all the shiny stuff there.

And in the end, what did they get? To live in a 'kolkhoz' on full display, and be an 'example'? Although, maybe this is just a fast-changing Forty that the 'kolkhoz' was missing.

But hey, that's just my unfiltered opinion, and don't expect a bunch of negative reviews. You can bet your bottom dollar there'll be a recommendation to check it out. I'd give it four stars for the over-the-top commentary, and it's a great pick for kids - especially the little ones, they'll love the chaos!

This cartoon is a great pick for kids, especially the little ones. They'll love the chaos and the humor. However, for adults, it might be a bit too much to handle. The cartoon is a bit of a mess, but it's still a fun watch.

Great pick for kids Fun and chaotic Over-the-top commentary

A bit too much for adults Chaotic and messy Not as timeless as other classic cartoons