Random Article Summary #108

Boris Petrovich Dyozhkin (1914–1992) was a Soviet animator and animation artist. He worked not only as an animation and art director, but also as a caricaturist and book illustrator. He taught at Soyuzmultfilm, where he helped educate others in his field. Dyozhkin was also a member of ASIFA. In 1969, he was awarded the title of Honored Art Worker of the RSFSR. Boris Dyozhkin was born in Kursk into a Russian working-class family. His father worked for the railways and was later moved to Moscow, where Dyozhkin began working as a locksmith at a factory and studied drawing and caricatures through training linked to Krokodil magazine led by Alexei Radakov. In 1934 he completed animation courses and joined the Experimental Animation Workshop, working with artists such as Alexei Radakov, Vladimir Suteev, and Pyotr Nosov. The workshop, led by Viktor Smirnov, developed a cartoon style influenced by Disney and Fleischer Studios, and although these works were little known to the public in the Soviet Union, they were highly valued by top officials, including Joseph Stalin. In 1936, Dyozhkin’s group was merged into the Soyuzdetmultfilm studio (later renamed Soyuzmultfilm), where he worked with other leading animators. He became well known for mastering the “Disney style” by carefully copying Disney films frame by frame, and he learned to match picture and sound, making him one of the studio’s most in-demand animators, co-directing the short Hail to the Heroes! in 1937 before the war. When World War II began in 1941, Dyozhkin survived a bombing in Moscow, but a bomb hit Roman Davydov’s house where he and his wife were staying. Dyozhkin protected his wife with his body and was injured, losing his left eye, so he wore an eyepatch for the rest of his life. After the war, Boris Dyozhkin worked at Soyuzmultfilm for about 40 years, often serving as director, art director, and animator, and coordinating characters with pre-recorded music. By 1955 he became well known for short, fast slapstick comedy films, and in 1961 he directed the feature film Cipollino, using music by composer Karen Khachaturian. Later, after 1984 he received fewer offers and had to earn money by illustrating, and his health worsened; he died in 1992 and was buried in Moscow. This filmography lists Boris Dyozhkin’s work mainly as an animator, director, and art director from 1936 to 1981, including many well-known animated films and cartoons. He also took on roles such as co-director and screenwriter, and later directed the TV series “Fitil” across six episodes from 1974 to 1982.