
Biography
Fyodor Savelyevich Khitruk (Russian: Фёдор Савельевич Хитрук; 1 May 1917 – 3 December 2012; Tver) was a Russian (and Soviet) animator and animation director. Khitruk was born in Tver (Russian Empire), into a Jewish family. He came to Moscow to study graphic design at the OGIS College for Applied Arts. He graduated in 1936 and started to work with "Soyuzmultfilm" in 1938 as an animator. From 1962 onwards, he worked as a director. His first film "Story of One Crime" was an immense success. Today, this film is seen as the beginning of a renaissance of Soviet animation after a two-decade-long life in the shadows of Socialist realism. Diverging from the “naturalistic” Disney-like canons that were reigning in the 1950-60s in Soviet animated cartoons, he created his own style, which was laconic yet multi-level, non-trivial and vivid. He is the director of outstanding animated short films including such classics as his social satire of bureaucrats, "Man in the Frame" (1966); the philosophic parable, "Island" (1973) about the loneliness of a man in modern society; the biographical film "A Young Man Named Engels – A Portrait in Letters" (1970), based on drawings and letters of young Engels; the parody "Film, Film, Film" (1968); and the anti-war film, "Lion and Bull" (1984). In April 1993, Khitruk and three other leading animators (Yuri Norstein, Andrei Khrzhanovsky, and Eduard Nazarov) founded SHAR Studio, an animation school and studio in Russia. The Russian Cinema Committee is among the share-holders in the studio. In 2008, he released a two-volume book titled "Profession of Animation". He is the grandfather of violin virtuoso Anastasia Khitruk. Khitruk lived in Moscow, where he died in 2012, aged 95.
Directed 17
1980s
- 1984
Lion and Bull
Director
- 1982
Olympians
Director
1970s
- 1977
One Day Before Our Era
Director
- 1976
Ikar and Sages
Director
- 1974
I Give You a Star
Director
- 1973
Island
Director
Balance of Fear
Director
- 1972
Winnie-the-Pooh and a Busy Day
Director
- 1971
Winnie-the-Pooh Goes Visiting
Director
- 1970
A Young Man Named Engels – A Portrait in Letters
Director
1960s
- 1969
Winnie-the-Pooh
Director
- 1968
Film, Film, Film
Director
- 1967
Othello-67
Director
- 1966
Man in the Frame
Director
- 1965
Boniface's Holiday
Director
- 1964
Little Stomper
Director
- 1963
Visual effects 81
2000s
- 2005
About Me
Animation Director
- 2002
About the Girl Who Found Her Bear
Animation Director
Neighbours
Animation Director
1990s
- 1998
Mikhail Baryshnikov's Stories from My Childhood
Animation
1980s
- 1981
O Sport, You Are Peace!
Animation Director
1970s
- 1975
The Flight of Mr. Mc.Kinley
Animation Director
- 1973
Island
Animation
The Love of Mankind
Animation
1960s
- 1968
Zigzag of Success
Animation Director
- 1963
Granny's Goat
Animation
- 1961
Big Troubles
Animation
The Key
Animation
- 1960
A Sober Sparrow
Animation
It Was I Who Drew the Little Man
Animation
Different Wheels
Animation
Murzilka on the Satellite
Animation
1950s
- 1959
The Adventures of Buratino
Animation
Soon There Will Be Rain
Animation Director
At Exactly Three Fifteen ...
Animation
- 1958
The Boy from Napoli
Animation
The Tale of Chapayev
Animation
The Secret of the Far Away Island
Animation
Petia and Little Red Riding Hood
Animation
The Cat's House
Animation
- 1957
Familiar Pictures
Animation
Once Upon a Time
Animation
Again, Deuce
Animation
- 1956
The Twelve Months
Animation
Old Friends
Animation
Adventures of Murzilka
Animation
Girl in the Jungle
Animation
- 1955
The Enchanted Boy
Animation
An Unusual Match
Animation
What Kind of Bird Is This?
Animation
Dog and Cat
Animation
Stepan the Sailor
Animation
A Hazel Tree Twig
Animation
A Brave Hare
Animation
The Snowman-Postman
Animation
- 1954
The Frog Princess
Animation
An Arrow Flies Into a Fairy Tale
Animation
The Orange Neck
Animation
A Dangerous Prank
Animation
On the Forest Stage
Animation
A Goat-Musician
Animation
- 1953
A Naughty Kitten
Animation
Magic Store
Animation
Flight to the Moon
Animation
Brave Pak
Animation
The Crow and the Fox, the Cuckoo and the Rooster
Animation
- 1952
Kashtanka
Animation
Sarmiko
Animation
Validoob - Fell Oak
Animation
- 1951
The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Knights
Animation
The Night Before Christmas
Animation
The High Hill
Animation
Friends-Comrades
Animation
Forest Travellers
Animation
- 1950
Fox the Builder
Animation
When Christmas Trees Light Up
Animation
The Robust
Animation
The Magic Treasure
Animation
The Tale of the Fisherman and the Goldfish
Animation
1940s
- 1949
Geese-Swans
Animation
The Miraculous Bell
Animation
Ambulance
Animation
The Lion and the Hare
Animation
A Cuckoo and a Blackbird
Animation
- 1948
The Hunting Rifle
Animation
The Flower with Seven Colours
Animation
The Magic Carpet
Animation
Little Gray Neck
Animation
- 1940
Favourite Characters
Animation
Bear Cub
Animation
1930s
- 1939
The Friends from Taiga
Animation
Uncle Stepa
Animation
- 1938
Fyodor the Hunter
Animation
Tale of the Good Umar
Animation
Ivashko and Baba-Yaga
Animation
Wrote 18
1980s
- 1986
Three Novels
Writer
- 1984
Lion and Bull
Writer
- 1982
Olympians
Screenplay
1970s
- 1977
One Day Before Our Era
Screenplay, Writer
- 1976
Ikar and Sages
Screenplay
- 1974
I Give You a Star
Writer
- 1973
Island
Screenplay
Balance of Fear
Writer
- 1972
Winnie-the-Pooh and a Busy Day
Writer
- 1971
Winnie-the-Pooh Goes Visiting
Screenplay
- 1970
A Young Man Named Engels – A Portrait in Letters
Writer
1960s
- 1969
Winnie-the-Pooh
Writer
- 1968
Film, Film, Film
Writer
- 1967
Othello-67
Screenplay
- 1966
Man in the Frame
Writer
- 1965
The Tale of the Tsarevich and the Three Healers
Screenplay
Boniface's Holiday
Writer
- 1964
Little Stomper
Writer
Art department 5
1980s
- 1989
The Cow
Art Direction
- 1986
The Lafertovo Poppycake Seller
Creative Director
- 1985
Wolfy
Art Direction
- 1984
The Cat in the Cap
Art Direction
1970s
- 1973
Balance of Fear
Art Direction
Acted in 3
2010s
- 2014
Searching for the Lost Pochta
Archive footage
2000s
- 2005
Miracle Factory. Animation Director
Movie
- 2004
Magia Russica
Movie
Produced 2
1990s
- 1998
The Big Leap
Producer
- 1997
Dunno on the Moon
Consulting Producer
Created 1
1960s
- 1969
Winnie-the-Pooh
Creator
Appearances2
1990s
- 1997
Animated Soviet Propaganda
Self - Contributor
The Spirit of Genius - Fedor Khitruk and His Films
Self