This spring, the Volga and KinoTsekh companies will begin filming a full-length family film, tentatively titled “The Adventures of Funtik,” based on the cult Soviet animated series. The project’s key feature is that Funtik will appear not as a pig, but as an ordinary boy.
To find a young actor for the lead role, the creators announced an open nationwide casting call. The project team deliberately avoided working with professional child actors in favor of finding a child with “natural charisma and energy.”
For us, this is not just a screen adaptation of a well-known cartoon, but an attempt to reimagine the hero for a new generation, preserving his kindness, naivety, and inner strength.
Funtik is the archetype of a pure and sincere child who is unafraid to be themselves and stand up to injustice. And it’s precisely this kind of hero that children especially need today. We’re looking for that unique Funtik and have deliberately chosen an open casting call for the lead role, as we’re not looking for a “ready-made actor,” but for a child with vibrant energy and charisma.
Natalia Gorina, General Producer of the Volga Production Center, noted that the team is actively involved in the film’s creation at every stage, starting with the script. Particular attention is paid to ensuring the film is engaging for both children and adults, while preserving the spirit of the original story in a modern format.
The original animated series “The Adventures of Piglet Funtik” was released in the USSR in 1986–1988 and told the story of a kind little circus pig who escaped from his greedy owner, Mrs. Belladonna.
