Masha and the Bear 2 (2018)

Directed by: Oleg Kuzovkov | 70 minutes | family, animation | Dutch voice cast: Elaine Hakkaart

Years ago, Russian animator Oleg Kuzovkov met a little girl on a beach while on vacation. “The child easily made contact, thanks to her open appearance and resourcefulness. Without hesitation, she approached a stranger to play a game of chess with him. At another she took his flippers without asking and went into the sea with them. That’s nice for a while, but after a few days it turned out to be very tiring and the holidaymakers started to hide from her…” That small, stubborn girl who, on the one hand, winds people around her finger without difficulty, but on the other also quickly nerves, was the source of inspiration for the cartoon heroine Masha from ‘Masha and the bear’. Since she first appeared on TV in 2009, toddlers and preschoolers around the world have embraced her. Many parents like to watch them, because they in turn recognize themselves in Mishka, the good-natured brown bear who has taken care of Masha, but does not always have it easy with the hyperactive girl. Sometimes he just wants to quietly read a book, do puzzles or take a nap without being disturbed. But every time he seems to be completely through with it, he yields again to the disarming Masha. Because woe betide her if something happens to her.

After ‘Masha and the bear’ first found its way to the silver screen in 2017, there is now a second cinema film that has been given the unsurprising name ‘Masha and the bear 2′ (2018). Like its predecessor, this is also a collection of nine short films instead of one full-length film. The films last about seven to eight minutes and are always introduced by Masha herself (in the Dutch dubbing her voice is recorded by Elaine Hakkaart). The first cutscene immediately sets the tone, when Masha and her best friend Panda completely mess up Mishka’s afternoon golf and at some point get into a fight with the animals in the forest. The bear’s protective, caring nature comes into its own in the episode “The Best Medicine,” when Masha catches a cold and Mishka digs into his circus performer past to cheer her up and make her better. Juggling, clowning, magic; he doesn’t turn a blind eye to it. It’s hilarious when he puts on a wig to play a lion. The bear’s past also features in the “Quartet Plus One” cutscene, in which Mishka’s father comes to visit and opens the family photo album. Apparently they used to be part of a music company. Why don’t they breathe new life into that, Masha wonders. She rounds up the female bear and Mishka’s rival the Himalayan bear, but rehearsals are a mess as both male bears want to impress the female.

Masha can therefore also play a connecting role. She also shows that in ‘What a wonderful game’, when she searches for a full-fledged opponent to play ice hockey against and uses the time machine invented by Mishka (in another episode he assembles a rocket himself to travel to the moon with ) ends up in the Middle Ages. There she persuades two rival groups of knights to exchange their swords for sticks and pucks. But teaching is a bit different from playing yourself, Masha soon discovers. Very funny is the episode ‘Pet child of the week’, in which we see Masha at her best (because: most annoying). Poor pig Roosje – Masha’s darling – is tired of being almost hugged to death by the girl and decides to make a deal with the wolves (how desperate she must be!). Anyone who has seen more videos of ‘Masha and the bear’ will probably remember them. The wolves live together in an old ambulance and are always hungry. They are often so desperate that they make the wrong choices; you would feel sorry for it. In this case it is the pig that makes the wrong choice; she soon discovers that taking care of yourself isn’t so easy. The delightfully dodgy rabbit is back again, this time to cheat on a game he plays with Masha during ‘The Billiard Tournament’. In the remaining episodes, Mishka goes on an underwater adventure with a mermaid and in “Monkey Regions,” when Masha embarks on a journey with a couple of itinerant circus monkeys, we see how much she and the bear can’t live without each other.

Good news for the enthusiast: ‘Masha en de bear 2’ is just as hilarious, heartwarming and entertaining as its predecessor. Children will recognize themselves in the bouncy Masha who always sees a game in everything, while watching parents can gloat about the side characters who are sometimes driven to despair but are just as easily swayed by the heart-stopping girl that Masha can also be. More of the same, but that is certainly not a punishment because ‘Masha and the bear’ offers universal entertainment at a good level, with smooth and funny animations and matching and recognizable music. Whoever buys the DVD will also receive four extra episodes as a gift and can therefore enjoy this fine animation film for half an hour longer.