Upon the Magic Roads

Upon the Magic Roads (Konyok-Gorbunok, 2021) is a Russian fantasy adventure directed by Oleg Pogodin that you can watch online on iFILM. It's a big, CGI-heavy reworking of Pyotr Yershov's beloved verse fairy tale, scaled up into a family blockbuster.

Ivan, played by Anton Shagin, is no prince and no warrior — just the youngest son his brothers have long written off as a fool. Everything shifts when he gains a tiny, sharp-witted companion: a hunchbacked magic foal. Together they set out to catch the Firebird, outwit a greedy, hot-tempered Tsar (Mikhail Efremov), survive a string of impossible trials and hold their friendship together when everything is on the line — and, naturally, win the heart of the Tsar Maiden, played by Paulina Andreeva.

Pogodin fills out the cast with Pavel Derevyanko, Yan Tsapnik and Oleg Taktarov. This one is made for family viewing — colourful, brisk and unembarrassed about its moral that courage and a loyal friend outrank noble birth. If you grew up on Yershov's poem, it's worth seeing how a modern take handles it. Stream Upon the Magic Roads (2021) online on iFILM.