Yak Petryk Pyatochkin slonykiv rakhuvav

Yak Petryk Pyatockin slonykiv rakhuvav (or How Petryk Pyatochkin Counted Little Elephants in English) is a 1984 Soviet-Ukranian animated short film. It was produced by Kievnauchfilm.

Plot
Petryk Pyatochkin is a rambunctious, mischievous, fun-loving, little boy who just can't sit still. After he eventually settles down and falls asleep in a daycare's nursery, he has a dream in which he encounters a multi-colored group of anthropomorphic, elephant kids. Through this dream, he learns how to count them and when he wakes up, he gets the message that he should settle down more whenever the time calls for it, becoming more obedient.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) The art and animation are reminiscent of a golden era/1930s cartoon, particularly by the Fleischer brothers or Ub Iwerks. There are moments when the animation is fast-paced, but not too much, striking a balance between that and the more serene moments. There's even a moment of surrealism.
 * 2) It starts out being more action-driven, but the dialogue comes in mid-way into the short. Even if one doesn't understand nor speak Russian/Ukranian and the lines that are said exactly, the viewer still gets an idea of what's happening.
 * 3) The story is creative and cleverly-written.
 * 4) The characters, including Petryk, his parents, the teacher/caregiver, and Petryk's classmates are all enjoyable.
 * 5) The voice acting for Petryk (Natalia Rozhkova) and the teacher/caregiver sound pleasant and well-done. The singing voice of the teacher/caregiver is even more pleasant to hear.
 * 6) The surrealistic scene of the switch from reality to the dream Petryk has is full of phantasm and wonder.
 * 7) Nice soundtrack, such as the music playing in Petryk's dream sequence, which sounds like bongos or congas.
 * 8) Good allusion some viewers may interpret about how this reflects the differences in the Soviet Union's governmental system at the time and those who were against it.
 * 9) It is a cult classic that gained a following among cult film fans.
 * 10) It is an entertaining short that delivers overall.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) It never received an English dub, nor did it have English subtitles added to it.
 * 2) It was never expanded into a series.