School is out for summer, but young Alisa is alternatively happy and sad about it. She loves summertime in futuristic Moscow, but she has just failed her history test and will have to do the class over again during summer break. Her space zoologist dad is not going to be happy with her. Upon returning home she is delighted to discover her Uncle Gromozeka, a boisterous blue creature with four arms, has an early birthday present for her–a trip to the planet Koleida. He vows to teach her all about history at the planet. Upon arrival at Koleida, they discover that a virus has devastated the planet’s previous society. Luckily, Gromozeka has a time machine to take Alisa on an adventure back to the 1950s to stop the virus at its source.
commentaries
Based on a series of hugely popular children’s science fiction books by Kir Belchev, Alisa’s Birthday overwhelms with surprising creative characters and incredible energy, while the quality of its central story will captivate all audiences. The outstanding cast is a who’s who of Russian voice actors, grounding the serious side of the tale with regular laughs and affecting musical numbers. English subtitles will be read aloud at the June 7 and the June 14 screenings. Recommended for ages 5+ although a virus scene may be intense for very sensitive youth.