Upon the Magic Roads

Ivan gets two noble black horses as a gift and also gets a strange little horse with huge ears and an ugly hump. It also has magical powers, can speak, and even fly. The unequal pair complement each other perfectly. Ivan has a good heart and is cheerful and generous, but his credulity keeps getting him into trouble. He needs his hunchbacked companion and his magical powers as a guardian angel. On the hunt for the firebird, on the search for the cloud princess, or when the tsar sends her to the ends of the earth to find a magic ring.

Magic Roads is a popular 19th-century Russian children’s fairy tale. It was made into an animated film in 1975. Unfortunately, the remake does not come close to this lovingly drawn and wonderfully told adaptation. The remake is cut extremely quickly. One special effect chases the next. As a spectator, you hardly have time to catch your breath because each scene is even more spectacular than the one before. The actual story of the unequal friendship and the message of Upon the Magic Roads recede into the background. Because the main character is not a typical hero, as you know him from many fairy tales. Ivan has some flaws that keep putting him in danger. The insidious tsar takes advantage of his kindness and naivety to give him increasingly difficult tasks. Without the help of his courageous friend, he would not pass these kinds of tests. The film Upon the Magic Roads tells the exciting story of a friendship between two outsiders and offers action-packed entertainment for the whole family. You have to find out for yourself if there is a happy ending.

• Upon the Magic Roads