Russian animation pioneer and creator of 'Kikoriki' Anatoly Prokhorov dies aged 72
Anatoly Prokhorov, creator of internationally loved Russian children's cartoons Kikoriki (known as Smeshariki at home), died on August 30 of leukemia at the age of 72. The writer, director, producer and educator was also the co-founder of Pilot - the first independent private animation studio founded in the Soviet Union - and the Petersburg Animation Studio.
The Riki Group, parent company of Petersburg Animation Studio and producer of Kikoriki, said in a statement about Prokhorov's death:
“Anatoly Valentinovich has always been a very positive, energetic and unique creator. His contribution to the development of Russian animation cannot be overstated (as stated in the collective statement made by his colleagues). Thanks to his faith and his creative contribution, Smeshariki was born, on which he continued to work until his last day of life. For our team, he was not just an art director and colleague, but a friend, teacher and mentor. As a producer, thinker and bodybuilder, he had always reached new heights and opened new horizons for those who had the honor of collaborating with him. Faced with this irreparable loss, we express our condolences to the family and those who are close to Anatoly Valentinovich and we are saddened with them ".
Starting as an academic with a doctorate in physics and mathematics from Moscow State University, Prokhorov caused a sensation by forming Pilot in 1988 with fellow animation artists Igor Gelashvili, Igor Kovalyov and Aleksandr Tatarsky. The store focused on auteur shorts and creativity-driven commercial projects, and promoted the talents of critically and commercially successful artists such as Konstantin Bronzit, Aleksandr Petrov and Andrey Sokolov.
The pilot's more than 100 films have garnered dozens of awards from festivals around the world. The studio also collaborated with Kinofilm to produce the animation for the Cartoon Network series Mike, Lu and Og (1999-2001), with his artists Mikhail Shindel and Mikhail Aldashin as co-creators along with Charles Swenson of CN. Pilot embarked on his most ambitious project to date, the Eastern European fairy tale series Mountain of gems, in 2004 - in 2014 an official YouTube channel was launched.
The original, 2D Kikoriki The series, produced by Petersburg and created by Prokhorov, introduced Russian children to fascinating ball-shaped animals and their creative hijinks in 2003, through 2010 (with the latest season in 3D) and inspiring spin-off series - for preschool children BabyRiki and STEM themed Pin code - and three animated feature films. The series has been nominated twice for the Russian Golden Eagle Awards.
In addition to these globally recognized characters, Prokhorov has helped make more than 30 award-winning short films and animated films. He co-produced that of director Aleksey Kharitidi Gagarin, which won the Cannes Palme d'Or in 1996 and was nominated for the animated short film Oscar. Other festival favorites she co-produced include Natalia Mirzoyan Five minutes to the sea e Chinti; Bronzit's Goodbye, Tuk-Tuk e Pacifier.
Prokhorov was director of the Russian Internet Academy, expert on the board of electronic textbooks for the Russian Ministry of Education, head of the Screen Culture & New Communication Technologies department for the Ministry of Culture for nearly two decades and a member of Eurasian Television & Radio Academy - receiving numerous government-backed awards for his career contributions.
[Source: AWN]
