The feature film Smeshariki Through the Universes opens in Russian cinemas on August 6, bringing the familiar animated characters into a live action space adventure. According to actor Timofey Kochnev, who plays Barash, the movie follows Krosh and Yozhik after they find a device in Camomile Valley that transfers them into a game. The characters become children aboard a spaceship flying to Mars before realizing that the scenario is a reality filled with interplanetary dangers.
Kochnev told National News Service that the story line makes it a non-children's movie. He noted that combining live action elements with animation made the concept difficult to understand during early script reading, but ensemble auditions with director Andrey Marmontov demonstrated a clear vision. The screenplay for the project was written by Sergey Lukyanenko.
Technical Challenges and Wire Stunts
Filming the space scenes presented technical obstacles, including zero gravity sequences executed with cables. Kochnev said actors spent an entire shift flying on wires while being spun around, noting that securing into a spacesuit required 40 minutes and another 40 minutes were needed to unfasten it. Rehearsals in the pavilion took full separate workdays alongside regular shooting.
Addressing character traits, Kochnev said he shares a philosophical side with Barash while also relating to Krosh and Kopatych. Nikolay Dobrynin, who plays Kopatych, said he shares his character's main passion for growing cucumbers, describing himself as a land person who grew up in a vegetable garden and loves watering and harvesting.
Cast Roles and Production Details
Dobrynin also creates short promotional videos for social media. He said blogger Anya Pokrov suggested he try making content while they were filming Grandpa Fomich, leading to a debut video that gathered nine million views. As a course master at GITIS, Dobrynin now produces videos with his students and confirmed he intends to continue.
Yan Tsapnik, who was cast as Losyash, described his character as absurdly funny, touching, and crazy. The cast also features Antonina Boyko as Nyusha, Aleksandr Lykov as Kar-Karych, Lyudmila Artemyeva as Sovunya, Dmitry Kalikhov as Krosh, and Sergey Fyodorov as Yozhik. Marmontov previously told National News Service that casting took more than six months because actors in human form needed to maintain an internal connection to the original characters.
