Rikki-Tikki-Tavi

Rikki-Tikki-Tavi (1965) is a hand-drawn Soviet animated short you can watch online on iFILM. In twenty minutes it brings Rudyard Kipling's tale to the screen: a brave mongoose, swept away by a flood, is taken in by an English family living in India.

Rikki repays them his own way — by guarding the house from two cobras, Nag and his cunning mate Nagaina, who terrorize the whole garden. A small animal against venomous giants, and the fight is played for real, with no softening for young viewers. Directed by Aleksandra Snezhko-Blotskaya and voiced by stars of Soviet animation, this Soyuzmultfilm short turned Kipling's story into a small classic watched again and again. Put Rikki-Tikki-Tavi on online at iFILM, for kids and grown-ups alike.