Tribute to a Renowned Ukrainian Animator
On Sunday, August 31, at the age of 90, Ukrainian animator and production designer Radna Sakhaltyev, of Buryat descent, passed away.
This sad news was announced by Oksana Voloshenyuk from the Ukrainian Film Critics Union.
“He was one of the most significant artists in the history of Ukrainian animation,” she emphasized.
The majority of his animation works were created in collaboration with director David Cherkasov. Among his most famous works are “The Adventures of Captain Vrungel,” “Doctor Aibolit,” “Treasure Island,” and “How Cossacks Played Hockey.”
He also created animated films such as “The Cheerful Artist,” “The Secret of the Black King,” “Letters from the Radio Operator’s Box” (co-authored), “Columbus Reaches the Shore,” “The Legend of the Fiery Heart” (co-authored; award at the regional review, Yerevan, 1968), “Scarecrow,” “A Tale of Moonlight,” “Crimean Legend,” “Mystery-Buff,” “Short Stories,” “My Hut at the Edge,” “Wizard Oh,” “Around the World Inadvertently,” “The Lost Bunny,” “Cain's Tears,” “Family Marathon,” “The Wedding of the Candle,” “Wings,” “Treasure Island,” and “Crazy Macaroni, or the Mistake of Professor Bugensberg” (unfinished).
He also designed the artistic elements for films such as “Goodbye, Pharaohs!” (1974, co-authored), “Invitation to Dance” (1977), and “Treasure Island” (1987—1988).
Radna Sakhaltyev was born on May 15, 1935, and was a honored artist of the Ukrainian SSR (1988) and a people's artist of Ukraine (2008). In 1955, he entered the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography in the animation department. After graduating in 1961, he was assigned to Kyiv. Since 1961, he worked as an artist at the Creative Association of Animated Film “Kyivnaukfilm.”
He was a member of the National Unions of Artists (1972) and Cinematographers of Ukraine.
In the 1970s and 1980s, he was one of the leading artists of the satirical and humorous magazine “Perets.” He participated in illustrating the children's magazine “Piznayko.” He illustrated books for various publishing houses, including “Veselka,” “Molod,” “Ranok,” “Rozumna Dityna,” “Svenas,” “TeleRadioCourier,” “Folio,” “Samovar,” and “EKSMO.”
