Deaf Crocodile

[What A Disgrace]

Deaf Crocodile's upcoming release of The Devil's Bride now boasts a commentary by Michael Brooke.

[MichaelB]

It always did (I delivered it months ago), but it was accidentally omitted from the initially announced specs.

Since I have two more DC commentaries in development, I got in touch with them with some concern, wondering if they'd summarily dropped it, but happily no.

[DeafCrocodile]

I received my copy of Treasures of Soviet Animation Volume 1 and couldn't resist watching the films right away. Very happy with the restorations and the encodings. My childhood favorite, The Mystery of the Third Planet, looks and sounds absolutely marvelous. The colors appear just a touch less saturated than I remember, but it's hard to say with certainty after 40 years.
One minor gripe - the English subtitles are forced and cannot be switched off, which is annoying to those of us who don't need them. I wonder if this was contractual or an oversight?
I am looking forward to the future volumes in this series. The first volume is truly a treasure - well done, DC!

RE: forced on subtitles. It's contractual. Sorry.

[DeafCrocodile]

I watched an interview with Bill Plympton by James Hancock and he said that there’s not any plans, at the moment, for another release of any of his films.

Plympton stuck around a bit after his screening(s) at Metrograph today and I asked him if the plan was for Deaf Crocodile to release all his features and he said something along the lines of “I think that’s the plan?”

I read that to mean it’s not totally his call, but he seems to think at least a couple more releases are coming. He also said he really enjoyed working with the DC team. I had him sign a trading card that came with one of the releases and he was really tickled by it, read the whole back and commented about being on a trading card.

Really delightful guy who was really generous with his time. I recommend attending any screenings advertising his appearance. He was even offering free personalized doodles! The person he works with mentioned they’re planning a couple more appearances this year.

He’s wonderful. There is an amazing coffee table book on his career from being a newspaper cartoonist to poster child for independent animation in North America

Bill will be doing a signing at Night Owl Video in Brooklyn on June 28th! https://www.instagram.com/p/DK-IXA2OZNh/

[brundlefly]

I received my copy of Treasures of Soviet Animation Volume 1 and couldn't resist watching the films right away. Very happy with the restorations and the encodings. My childhood favorite, The Mystery of the Third Planet, looks and sounds absolutely marvelous. The colors appear just a touch less saturated than I remember, but it's hard to say with certainty after 40 years.
One minor gripe - the English subtitles are forced and cannot be switched off, which is annoying to those of us who don't need them. I wonder if this was contractual or an oversight?
I am looking forward to the future volumes in this series. The first volume is truly a treasure - well done, DC!

RE: forced on subtitles. It's contractual. Sorry.

Is this going to be the case for all volumes of this series?

Also, will there be any opportunity to buy the disc with Barta shorts on its own?

Thanks.

[karmajuice]

I received my copy of Treasures of Soviet Animation Volume 1 and couldn't resist watching the films right away. Very happy with the restorations and the encodings. My childhood favorite, The Mystery of the Third Planet, looks and sounds absolutely marvelous. The colors appear just a touch less saturated than I remember, but it's hard to say with certainty after 40 years.
One minor gripe - the English subtitles are forced and cannot be switched off, which is annoying to those of us who don't need them. I wonder if this was contractual or an oversight?
I am looking forward to the future volumes in this series. The first volume is truly a treasure - well done, DC!

RE: forced on subtitles. It's contractual. Sorry.

Is this going to be the case for all volumes of this series?

Also, will there be any opportunity to buy the disc with Barta shorts on its own?

Thanks.

I can't answer your first question, but I've already seen them confirm (I think on social media somewhere) that the shorts won't be available independently.

[Ribs]

They explained on the other forum that having better releases and having to rebuy things is just part of collecting, it doesn’t matter that its only been two years and they could easily make a standalone disc with how its divided. A very odd position to take that seems to needlessly demean the people who let the first release be their biggest success ever by the print runs they proudly boast of on a page on their website.

[TechnicolorAcid]

They explained on the other forum that having better releases and having to rebuy things is just part of collecting, it doesn’t matter that its only been two years and they could easily make a standalone disc with how its divided. A very odd position to take that seems to needlessly demean the people who let the first release be their biggest success ever by the print runs they proudly boast of on a page on their website.

I agree with all of this but I think the main reason they did this was just because their first stock of The Pied Piper from their Vinegar Syndrome days sold out and they needed to reprint it so they decided their best strategy was re-releasing it with some newly restored Jiri Barta shorts, especially since they already had one on their original disc. I think the best thing they could’ve done would be to release a version of the set with just the new packaging and the disc of shorts but I’m not entirely sure how feasible that would be in practice.

[TechnicolorAcid]

Can’t speak for Norstein’s other works but Hedgehog in the Fog is genuinely one of my favorite animated shorts of all time with such a visceral, haunting, and yet almost calming atmosphere that dwarves our adorable hedgehog lead that turns into something deeply beautiful and meditative by the end of it’s runtime. Like if Tarkovsky made an animated film.

Going through Norstein’s filmography in preparation for the release and all of his other shorts at least charming and well composed (although Seasons desperately needs an HD upgrade) but Tale of Tales is not only his greatest work but maybe THE greatest animated short I’ve ever seen and I regret using my Tarkovsky mention for Hedgehog because this is essentially Mirror as an animated film. It’s a nonlinear, deeply personal, very dreamlike, very poetic take on the memories of a Post-War Russia told with beautiful animation that Norstein and his crew developed over the course of the decade through their other works. I hesitate saying more though because it’s not only a film that people should go in as blind as possible to fully experience but also a film that deserves a much, much longer and thorough analysis than I am capable of giving it.

[What A Disgrace]

Tale of Tales is one of my ten favorite films, and certainly takes my top spot for the decade of the 1970s (The Hedgehog in the Fog is in the top 25, for sure).

[Michael Kerpan]

Will this be a "complete Norstein" release?

[TechnicolorAcid]

Will this be a "complete Norstein" release?

I can’t share exact details because it’s classified info from the Discord but I can confirm that most of his catalogue will be available in the set.

[brundlefly]

Are the subtitles going to be burned-in on the Norstein release?

[TechnicolorAcid]

Treasures of Soviet Animation Volume 2

Spoiler

This is the second volume in a series of new restorations of classic & rare Soviet animated gems from the vaults of the legendary Soyuzmultfilm studios, focused on Soviet-Armenian director Lev Atamanov (1905-1981). Atamanov was a brilliantly creative artist whose lyrical storytelling and stunning imagery put him on par with masters such as Walt Disney and Hayao Miyazaki, who praised THE SNOW QUEEN as “my destiny and my favorite film.”

THE SNOW QUEEN (SNEZHNAYA KOROLEVA) - 1957, 65 min.
Atamanov’s sublime and terrifyingly beautiful masterpiece, based on a Hans Christian Andersen story, follows a resourceful young girl, Gerda (voiced by Yanina Zheymo), as she embarks on an epic journey to save her friend Kay (Anna Komolova) from the frozen embraces of the magnificent Snow Queen (Mariya Babanova.) “Had I not one day seen ‘The Snow Queen’ during a film screening hosted by the company labor union, I honestly doubt that I would have continued working as an animator.” – Hayao Miyazaki

THE SCARLET FLOWER (ÁLENKIY TSVETÓTCHEK) - 1952, 42 min.
An almost impossibly lovely, bejeweled fantasy adventure, a mixture of Ptushko’s THE STONE FLOWER and SADKO with Cocteau’s BEAUTY & THE BEAST. A ship’s captain promises his youngest daughter Nastenka (voiced by Nina Krachkovskaya) a scarlet flower as a gift. But when he plucks it, the enraged beast who owns it demands a sacrifice – and Nastenka offers herself up as the monster’s prisoner on an enchanted isle.

THE KEY (KLYUCH) - 1961, 58 min. Atamanov’s delightfully quirky gem is one of his most surprising efforts, a surreal parable about the benefits of Magic vs. the value of Good Hard Work. THE KEY is told in a totally different visual style than Atamanov’s lush earlier works, closer to the mid-century modern look of UPA circa “Gerald McBoing Boing” and “Mr. Magoo.”

All three films in Russian with English subtitles. Co-presented with Seagull Films.

Special Features:

“Written With Ice Crystals: Master Soviet Animator Lev Atamanov and The Snow Queen” – new video essay by film historian Evan Chester
“Innocence & Cynicism: The Snow Queen and Hayao Miyazaki” – new video essay by animation expert John Adkins of Animation Obsessive
New commentary tracks by film historian Rolf Giesen
New artwork by Beth Morris
Blu-ray authoring by David Mackenzie of Fidelity In Motion

Deluxe Edition Bonus Content:

Slipcase featuring new artwork by Haleigh Buck.
60-page illustrated book
New essay by film historian Rolf Giesen
New essay by film critic Walter Chaw

SHIPPING IN SEPTEMBER

[TechnicolorAcid]

Are the subtitles going to be burned-in on the Norstein release?

Just a heads up, it will unfortunately come with forced subs. Per Craig via the Discord server:

Yes. I don't understand it, but the Russian licensors always insist that the English subs be forced on.

I still trust that it will be a remarkable improvement over the old DVD and hope it allows more people to be introduced to Norstein’s work though so I do still recommend supporting the release either way.

[brundlefly]

Thanks for the follow-up on this! Frustrating.

[TechnicolorAcid]

Apparently Deaf Crocodile have also partnered with Cartuna to release Tamala 2030: A Punk Cat in Dark, per the Email:

Ahead of its world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival, Deaf Crocodile and Cartuna announced today they have jointly acquired the North American rights to Tamala 2030: A Punk Cat in Dark, the long-awaited sequel to the underground anime landmark Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space. The psychedelic cyber-noir will be released theatrically next year.

Written, directed, and composed by the mysterious duo K. and kuno — collectively known as t.o.L.— Tamala 2030 picks up the existential thread of its iconic feline anti-hero. Set in Cat Tokyo in the year 2030, the film follows the incorrigible Tamala—a pint-sized, chain-smoking, time-hopping cat—as she impulsively joins her detective friend Michelangelo in investigating a string of bizarre disappearances across Cat Japan. Their search uncovers an intricate pattern tied to ancient occult forces, cosmic prophecy, and a shadowy megacorporation with a familiar name: Catty & Co. The deeper the mystery unravels, the clearer it becomes that Tamala may be more than just a wayward mascot—she may be a messiah, a myth, or the end of everything.

If Tamala 2010 was a subversive take on kawaii culture through a punk sci-fi lens, Tamala 2030 is a futuristic Neo-Noir, doubling down on the first film’s metaphysical mayhem. Inspired in part by the sudden disappearance of loved ones and friends during the COVID pandemic, the film is a kaleidoscope of surreal satire, pop iconography, and mind-bending narrative fragments, fusing influences from Philip K. Dick, David Lynch, and Thomas Pynchon with the aesthetics of Hello Kitty and post-internet paranoia. The result is a visually and philosophically radical experience—part art film, part cosmic joke, and wholly singular.

“The film ‘TAMALA 2010,’ starring PunkCat ‘TAMALA’ was produced in the early 21st century. This chronicle and strange animation has been loved by the founders of DEAF CROCODILE for 20 years,” comments the co-directing team of t.o.L. “Then, in 2025 , when the new film ‘TAMALA 2030’ was produced, we met our new friend, CARTUNA. toL , the director of the ‘TAMALA’ series, is very excited about this upcoming collaboration with the trusted DEAF CROCODILE and CARTUNA !!!!”

“I’ve been a huge fan of t.o.L’s visionary animation since the original Tamala 2010, which Craig and I re-released last year,” says Dennis Bartok, Deaf Crocodile’s Co-Founder. “During work on that, t.o.L let it slip they were nearing completion on a new film continuing Tamala’s cyberpunk adventures, and our jaws hit the floor!”

Deaf Crocodile Co-Founder Craig Rogers adds, ‘We fell in love with Tamala as soon as we met her. It took 23 years, but to quote the sassy cat herself, “Another f*cking day is about to begin.” Let’s do this!“

“Tamala is back, and she’s weirder, wiser, and more dangerous than ever,” said James Belfer, Founder and CEO of Cartuna. “Tamala 2030 is a gorgeous, mystifying, mind-altering work. This is not just a sequel—it’s a cosmic escalation of everything that made Tamala 2010 a cult obsession.”

This marks the first co-acquisition between Cartuna and Deaf Crocodile, two companies with deep ties to genre-defying animation and international cult cinema. Cartuna continues to build out its slate of theatrical distribution, which includes Boys Go to Jupiter and Dead Lover. Deaf Crocodile continues its acclaimed mission as a leading curator of restored and rediscovered global animation and world cinema.

[beamish14]

Apparently Deaf Crocodile have also partnered with Cartuna to release Tamala 2030: A Punk Cat in Dark, per the Email:

Ahead of its world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival, Deaf Crocodile and Cartuna announced today they have jointly acquired the North American rights to Tamala 2030: A Punk Cat in Dark, the long-awaited sequel to the underground anime landmark Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space. The psychedelic cyber-noir will be released theatrically next year.

Written, directed, and composed by the mysterious duo K. and kuno — collectively known as t.o.L.— Tamala 2030 picks up the existential thread of its iconic feline anti-hero. Set in Cat Tokyo in the year 2030, the film follows the incorrigible Tamala—a pint-sized, chain-smoking, time-hopping cat—as she impulsively joins her detective friend Michelangelo in investigating a string of bizarre disappearances across Cat Japan. Their search uncovers an intricate pattern tied to ancient occult forces, cosmic prophecy, and a shadowy megacorporation with a familiar name: Catty & Co. The deeper the mystery unravels, the clearer it becomes that Tamala may be more than just a wayward mascot—she may be a messiah, a myth, or the end of everything.

If Tamala 2010 was a subversive take on kawaii culture through a punk sci-fi lens, Tamala 2030 is a futuristic Neo-Noir, doubling down on the first film’s metaphysical mayhem. Inspired in part by the sudden disappearance of loved ones and friends during the COVID pandemic, the film is a kaleidoscope of surreal satire, pop iconography, and mind-bending narrative fragments, fusing influences from Philip K. Dick, David Lynch, and Thomas Pynchon with the aesthetics of Hello Kitty and post-internet paranoia. The result is a visually and philosophically radical experience—part art film, part cosmic joke, and wholly singular.

“The film ‘TAMALA 2010,’ starring PunkCat ‘TAMALA’ was produced in the early 21st century. This chronicle and strange animation has been loved by the founders of DEAF CROCODILE for 20 years,” comments the co-directing team of t.o.L. “Then, in 2025 , when the new film ‘TAMALA 2030’ was produced, we met our new friend, CARTUNA. toL , the director of the ‘TAMALA’ series, is very excited about this upcoming collaboration with the trusted DEAF CROCODILE and CARTUNA !!!!”

“I’ve been a huge fan of t.o.L’s visionary animation since the original Tamala 2010, which Craig and I re-released last year,” says Dennis Bartok, Deaf Crocodile’s Co-Founder. “During work on that, t.o.L let it slip they were nearing completion on a new film continuing Tamala’s cyberpunk adventures, and our jaws hit the floor!”

Deaf Crocodile Co-Founder Craig Rogers adds, ‘We fell in love with Tamala as soon as we met her. It took 23 years, but to quote the sassy cat herself, “Another f*cking day is about to begin.” Let’s do this!“

“Tamala is back, and she’s weirder, wiser, and more dangerous than ever,” said James Belfer, Founder and CEO of Cartuna. “Tamala 2030 is a gorgeous, mystifying, mind-altering work. This is not just a sequel—it’s a cosmic escalation of everything that made Tamala 2010 a cult obsession.”

This marks the first co-acquisition between Cartuna and Deaf Crocodile, two companies with deep ties to genre-defying animation and international cult cinema. Cartuna continues to build out its slate of theatrical distribution, which includes Boys Go to Jupiter and Dead Lover. Deaf Crocodile continues its acclaimed mission as a leading curator of restored and rediscovered global animation and world cinema.

God help us all

[Lowry_Sam]

Tamala 2030 trailer

[andyli]

Thanks for the follow-up on this! Frustrating.

I should hope by ‘forced’ they mean it’s unlockable by the usual way?

[TechnicolorAcid]

New podcast dropped with a lot of interesting information included but they announced the titles of The Brumberg Sisters will be The Tale of Tsar Sultan, The Night Before Christmas, and It Was I Who Drew the Little Man. They also teased they have 2 other Shakhnazarov films (most likely Courier and We’re From Jazz) and 4 more Czech films, 2 being Czech silent films from the same director and 1 being a mid-1940s genre hybrid.

[TMDaines]

I wish Ukrainian Poetic Cinema could get some of this treatment from either Croc or Second Run.

[MichaelB]

So do I!

In fact, I deliberately namechecked Yuri Ilyenko in my commentary for The Devil's Bride as an example of another Soviet-era filmmaker who was somehow able to tackle full-on folk-inspired subject-matter in a decidedly non-realistic way - and yes, there was an intentional if unspoken "hint, hint" there!

Although I daresay there are logistical challenges right now with regard to getting hold of decent high-definition source materials.

[Finch]

Silent October is coming.
In silent cinema, no one can hear you scream.

THE STUDENT OF PRAGUE (1926)
DER STUDENT VON PRAG (THE STUDENT OF PRAGUE), 1926, Filmmuseum München, 133 min. Dir. Henrik Galeen. Conrad Veidt (THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI, CASABLANCA) stars as a hellraising student who sells his soul to the Devil. But Veidt hasn’t bargained on meeting his own evil doppelgänger who literally steps out of a mirror, Cocteau-like, and starts to take over his life. Galeen’s eerily compelling FAUST-like fantasy / horror is driven by Veidt‘s impressive dual performance as the student and his strange, unsettling twin. Score by Stephen Horne.

ALRAUNE (1928)
ALRAUNE (A WOMAN OF DESTINY), 1928, Filmmuseum München,131 min. Dir. Henrik Galeen. Deranged Weimar Era erotic sci-fi / horror starring Brigitte Helm (METROPOLIS) as the unholy offspring of a genetics experiment conducted by her scientist “father” Paul Wegener, who implants the semen of a hanged man in the womb of a prostitute. As an adult, the lithe, sinuous Helm drives men to suicide and madness – including her own pseudo-father Wegener who succumbs to incestuous obsession with her. Beautifully shot by cinematographer Franz Planer with gorgeous restored color tinting. Score by Sabrina Zimmermann and Mark Pogolski.

THE 2551 TRILOGY (2021-2025)
Norbert Pfaffenbichler’s 2551 TRILOGY: 2551.01 – “The Kid” / 2551.02 – “The Orgy of the Damned” / 2551.03 – “The End”

Imagine Mad Max run amok in the Mütter Museum: a nightmarish subterranean world of superstition, magic and deformity, ruled by fear and oppression – and “peopled” with a spine-chilling assortment of mutants and masked monstrosities including faceless stormtroopers, parasites, nude figures, taxidermied monkeys, alchemists and other occult horrors. Welcome to the unearthly visions of Austrian artist and director Norbert Pfaffenbichler’s 2551 Trilogy, a staggering combination of avant garde cinema, post-apocalyptic sci-fi / horror / monster action, dystopian political nightmare, silent cinema techniques (all 3 features are told without dialogue, with different color tinting), endless subterranean labyrinths shot in abandoned WW2 bunkers in Vienna, myriad grotesque masks, industrial and death metal music, the Bros. Quay and Jan Švankmajer and Joel-Peter Witkin and David Lynch all mixed together. Definitely NOT for the faint of heart, this is experimental filmmaking for fans of SILENT HILL, HELLBOY 2, ERASERHEAD, MAD GOD and BEGOTTEN, The Cure and Bauhaus and Metallica, lucha libre, and (unbelievably) Charlie Chaplin. In other words, it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen (or dreamt of) before.

[domino harvey]

Silent October is coming.
In silent cinema, no one can hear you scream.

THE STUDENT OF PRAGUE (1926)
DER STUDENT VON PRAG (THE STUDENT OF PRAGUE), 1926, Filmmuseum München, 133 min. Dir. Henrik Galeen. Conrad Veidt (THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI, CASABLANCA) stars as a hellraising student who sells his soul to the Devil. But Veidt hasn’t bargained on meeting his own evil doppelgänger who literally steps out of a mirror, Cocteau-like, and starts to take over his life. Galeen’s eerily compelling FAUST-like fantasy / horror is driven by Veidt‘s impressive dual performance as the student and his strange, unsettling twin. Score by Stephen Horne.

ALRAUNE (1928)
ALRAUNE (A WOMAN OF DESTINY), 1928, Filmmuseum München,131 min. Dir. Henrik Galeen. Deranged Weimar Era erotic sci-fi / horror starring Brigitte Helm (METROPOLIS) as the unholy offspring of a genetics experiment conducted by her scientist “father” Paul Wegener, who implants the semen of a hanged man in the womb of a prostitute. As an adult, the lithe, sinuous Helm drives men to suicide and madness – including her own pseudo-father Wegener who succumbs to incestuous obsession with her. Beautifully shot by cinematographer Franz Planer with gorgeous restored color tinting. Score by Sabrina Zimmermann and Mark Pogolski.

Interesting that these seem to be lesser seen adaptations of more well known films. I kind of like that!