Russian animation, Soyuzmultfilm, animation based on fairy/folk tales, ingredients that have me sold even when it is just one of them, all of them and my interest is even bigger. If you haven't any of Soyuzmultfilm's work yet and are a fan of animation and ones not from the UK or US, you are in for a treat. While preferring her adaptations of folklore and fairytales (as well as adaptations of literary classics), Aleksandra Snezhko-Blotskaya's Greek mythology animations are all must watches.
One of the best of the five is 1971's 'The Labyrinth'. A must for fans of animation and of Soviet animation. A must for those familiar with the myth and who is interested in seeing it in a non-English language. A must for those not familiar with the story of the labyrinth, but who is vaguely familiar with other mythological characters and stories and interested in learning more. Despite being in a different language, 'The Labyrinth' is still accessible which is so good about Soyuzmultfilm's output in general.
'The Labyrinth' is wonderful in every area. The animation is of exceptionally high quality. The attention to detail in the backgrounds and landscapes are enough to take the breath away and one can see much ambition in the design of the labyrinth and the way it's used. The music is playful, lush in orchestration and atmospheric, its use, tone and placement always ideal and not in any way discordant with the action.
Even though not in English (which may alienate some but what goes on in the imagery and in the story is more than enough to speak), the writing is so poetic and flows very well, listening to it is also a pleasure.
Story is as thrilling and imaginative as it should be, treating the story and characters with respect, with plenty of recognisable parts, while with enough of its own touches to set it apart without being too much of a departure. It's still unmistakably Soyuzmultfilm, which is a good thing as they were a very versatile studio and easy to recognise from the visual styles adopted for instance. The fantasy element has a lot of charming imagination and the adventure enthralls and excites, hardly surprising seeing as Russian cinema and animation excelled at these genres individually and together frequently.
Characterisation is without issue and the labyrinth is like a character of its own. The voice acting is fine and none of it sounds ill fitting.
In summary, wonderful. 10/10.
