Aleksandr Lukich Ptushko (Russian: Александр Лукич Птушко, 19 April [O.S. 6 April] 1900 – 6 March 1973) was a Soviet animation and fantasy film director, and a People's Artist of the USSR (1969). Ptushko is frequently (and somewhat misleadingly) referred to as "the Soviet Walt Disney," because of his prominent early role in animation in the Soviet Union, though a more accurate comparison would be to Willis H. O'Brien or Ray Harryhausen. Some critics, such as Tim Lucas and Alan Upchurch, have also compared Ptushko to Italian filmmaker Mario Bava, who made fantasy and horror films with similarities to Ptushko's work and made similarly innovative use of color cinematography and special effects. He began his film career as a director and animator of stop motion short films, and became a director of feature-length films combining live action, stop motion, creative special effects, and Russian mythology. Along the way he would be responsible for a number of firsts in Russian film history (including the first feature-length animated film, and the first film in color), and would make several extremely popular and internationally praised films full of visual flair and spectacle.
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Biography from TMDB.
- April 19, 1900
- March 6, 1973 (aged 72)
- Lugansk, Lugansk uyezd, Yekaterinoslav Governorate, Russian Empire [now Luhansk, Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine]
- Director and writer
- 6 on MovieCove · 39 credits in all
What are Aleksandr Ptushko's films like?
Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Survival.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 6
A split, not a type: Light 4 · Serious 2 · Dark 0
Grounded 0 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 6
Gentle 1 · Charged 4 · Intense 1
Steady 5 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0
Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0
Casual 4 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 4 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 0
Resolved 5 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy5
- Tragic1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Aleksandr Ptushko's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 6 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).
Subscription and free streaming for Aleksandr Ptushko's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
39 credits, 6 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
Ruslan and Ludmila(1972)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
Viy(1967)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
The Tale of Tsar Saltan(1967)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
The Day the Earth Froze (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
A Tale of Lost Times (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
The Sword and the Dragon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
The Magic Voyage of Sinbad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
Fuse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
Alye parusa(1961)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
My Friend, Kolka! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
The Day the Earth Froze(1959)
Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films
Ilya Muromets (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Sadko(1953)
Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films
Three Encounters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
The Stone Flower (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)
The Lost Letter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)
A Winter Tale (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)
Zoya (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)
Moscow Skies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)
Sinbad the Sailor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)
Telephone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)
In the Name of the Motherland (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)
The District Secretary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)
Lad from Our Town (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)
A Good Lad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)
Batyr of the Steppes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)
The Golden Key (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)
The Merry Musicians (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)
The Dog and the Cat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)
Small But Fierce (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)
The Fox and the Grapes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)
The Tale of the Fisherman and the Goldfish (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)
The Wolf and the Crane (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)
The Giant Turnip (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)
Capt. Grant's Family (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)
The Fox and the Wolf (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)
The New Gulliver (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)
Lord of Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)
The Incident At The Stadium (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)
Career shape
A full career of 39 titles from 1928 to 1972.
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Aleksandr Ptushko's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 76th percentile, the median of all 6; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 73rd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up3
- 50th to 74th1
- 25th to 49th1
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
4 of their 6 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser4
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the atmosphere 77/100 and the pacing 42/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Aleksandr Ptushko work with?
People who share at least 2 of Aleksandr Ptushko's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Sergey Martinson shares the most, 3.
Writers
- Aleksandr PushkinShared titles: Ruslan and Ludmila (1972), The Tale of Tsar Saltan (1967)See all 2 shared titles with Aleksandr Pushkin
Actors
- Sergey MartinsonShared titles: The Tale of Tsar Saltan (1967), Alye parusa (1961), Sadko (1953)See all 3 shared titles with Sergey Martinson
- Eve KiviShared titles: Ruslan and Ludmila (1972), The Day the Earth Froze (1959)See all 2 shared titles with Eve Kivi
- Olga ViklandtShared titles: The Tale of Tsar Saltan (1967), Sadko (1953)See all 2 shared titles with Olga Viklandt
Cinematographers and editors
- Igor GeleinShared titles: Ruslan and Ludmila (1972), The Tale of Tsar Saltan (1967)See all 2 shared titles with Igor Gelein
- N. BelyovtsevaShared titles: Ruslan and Ludmila (1972), The Tale of Tsar Saltan (1967)See all 2 shared titles with N. Belyovtseva
- Valentin ZakharovShared titles: Ruslan and Ludmila (1972), The Tale of Tsar Saltan (1967)See all 2 shared titles with Valentin Zakharov
- Fyodor ProvorovShared titles: Viy (1967), Sadko (1953)See all 2 shared titles with Fyodor Provorov
