The Snow Queen (Russian; US Release 1959)

[garyrc]

Does anyone know who owns the Russian animated feature length cartoon The Snow Queen, or if there are plans to release it on Blu-ray or even DVD?
It was made in the mid '50s, and released in the US in 1959, with dubbed voices of American actors, and a strange intro by Art Linkletter.

The color and style had a charming and Agfa-ish old world flavor, except for the Snow Queen herself, who was appropriately cold and reminded me of both Maleficent from Disney's Sleeping Beauty and the Queen from Snow White. It definitely deserves a place in any good animation library.

[Clark Kent]

It appears to be in the public domain in the U.S. The chances of it seeing a Blu-ray release in the next five years are infinitesimal. Here is a dvd version on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Snow-Queen-Voices-Sandra-Dee/dp/B0006HU2X2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1241483994&sr=1-1

DVD releases

* Films by Jove, April 27, 1999 (R0, NTSC) – version restored by Films by Jove in the 1990s. Contains English, French and Spanish soundtracks (not Russian), no subtitles. Included films: The Snow Queen, The Wild Swans, Alice and the Mystery of the Third Planet.
* Krupnyy Plan, September 13, 2004 (R5, PAL) – version restored by Krupnyy Plan ("full restoration of image and sound"). Contains original Russian soundtrack, no subtitles. Included films: The Snow Queen, New Years' Eve (1948). Other features: Before and after restoration, photo album, previews. Glitch: rewinding/fast-forwarding only by chapters.
* Westlake Entertainment Group, October 1, 2004 (R1, NTSC). Contains complete 1959 version of the film, but unrestored (the public domain print is used).
* Films by Jove, 2006 (R0, NTSC) – version restored by Films by Jove in the 1990s. Contains original Russian soundtrack with English subtitles. Included films: The Snow Queen, The Golden Antelope, Bench, Cyclist, Fence.