Hello, the Olympics!

Hello, the Olympics! (1979) is a musical cartoon by Inessa Kovalevskaya you can watch online on iFILM. Nine minutes of songs, hand-drawn animals and the build-up to Moscow's 1980 Games.

The Olympic mascot Misha the bear puts together a band — a cat, a mouse, a hare, a ram, a fox and a wolf — and they belt out a cheerful number about doing sport. Then animals pour in from every corner of the planet: polar bears, penguins, dolphins, kangaroos, monkeys. Vladimir Vinokur lends his voice and keeps the whole parade bouncing.

It's a slice of Soviet childhood pointed straight at the country's biggest sporting event — loud colors, simple tunes, not a trace of pretension. Stream Hello, the Olympics! (1979) online on iFILM.