Melnitsa Animation Studio

What Melnitsa Animation Studio does

Melnitsa Animation Studio (Студия анимационного кино «Мельница») is a privately held, Saint Petersburg-based full-service animation studio founded in 1999 (predecessor Midi Cinema sound studio dates to 1992) and co-owned by Sergey Selyanov and Alexander Boyarsky. The studio produces feature-length animated films, episodic television series, and computer games for Russian-speaking and international family audiences, with 150+ in-house artists, designers, editors, and engineers producing approximately 8 hours of finished animation annually. Core franchises include Three Bogatyrs (epic heroes, theatrical series since 2004), Ivan Tsarevich and the Gray Wolf (since 2011), Luntik (preschool TV series since 2006, 489 episodes), Barboskins (children 5-12 TV series), and Urfin Jus (studio's first 3D feature, 2017). The vertical stack spans storyboarding, character and background design, 2D and 3D animation, compositing, editing, and Dolby Digital-certified sound via the wholly owned Midi Cinema subsidiary.

Revenue is generated across theatrical box office (latest Three Bogatyrs sequel grossed over $32M in Russia), television licensing (Russia-1, Karousel), international streaming (Amazon Prime, HappyKids, HOP!, Planet Sony via INK Global), consumer product licensing managed in-house through Melnitsa Agency (3,000+ Luntik licensed articles), computer games with 1C Games, and commissioned advertising work. Distribution is primarily Russia and CIS (Nashe Kino theatrical), with international expansion underway via streaming and Scholastic/Google partnerships targeting North America, UK, Israel, and Turkey. The studio has earned two Oscar nominations (Lavatory-Lovestory 2009; We Cannot Live Without Cosmos 2015), multiple Golden Eagle and Government/Presidential prizes, and Grand Prix wins at Annecy, Zagreb, and Hiroshima animation festivals.

Name

Melnitsa Animation Studio

Legal name

Studio Melnitsa (Студия «Мельница»)

Website

https://melnitsa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Melnitsa Animation Studio is a Saint Petersburg-based, full-service animation studio producing theatrical films, TV series, and games for Russian and international family audiences, built on franchises like Three Bogatyrs, Luntik, and Ivan Tsarevich.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animated Film Production

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (512110)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Animated Feature Film Production (MPADACAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Animated Series Production (TV/Streaming) (MPADACAG), 2D Character Animation (MPAHACAA), Character & Creature Animation (MPADACAE), Outsourced Art/Audio Production Services (2D/3D, Animation, VFX, Audio/VO) (MPAFAKAM)

Keywords

• Animated film production
• Animation studio services
• Children's TV series
• Character licensing
• Animated content licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Petersburg

HQ country

Russia

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Theatrical film distribution: Feature-length animated films released in Russian and CIS cinemas, generating box office revenue. Films include 'Три Богатыря' franchise, 'Иван Царевич и Серый Волк' franchise, and others. Latest sequel grossed over $32 million in Russia alone.
2. Television licensing: TV broadcasting rights for animated series like 'Лунтик и его друзья' (aired on Russia-1 and Karousel since 2006) and 'Барбоскины' (aired on Spokoynoy nochi, malyshi!).
3. Consumer product licensing: Licensing of characters and brands for toys, board games, books, magazines, clothing, accessories, and other merchandise. Luntik has over 3,000 licensed articles. The Pooches had 1,500+ positions licensed in 2011-2014.
4. Computer games: Games based on animated features produced with strategic partner 1C Games. Includes 'Илья Муромец и Соловей-Разбойник The Game', 'Алеша Попович и Тугарин Змей The Game', educational games from Luntik series, and others.
5. Licensing agency operations: Melnitsa's own licensing agency (melnitsaagency.ru) handles all licensing matters for the studio's content.
6. Advertising and commissioned work: Production of advertising videos, titles and special effects for external clients. Projects include commercials for various Russian brands (Pyaterochka, Maksidom, etc.) and title sequences.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Melnitsa Animation Studio produces full-length animated feature films, long-running children's television series, and branded computer games through a full-service in-house pipeline (2D and 3D animation, from storyboards through final delivery), with sound production handled by its wholly-owned Midi Cinema subsidiary. The studio's franchise portfolio centers on Russian folk-tale epics (Three Bogatyrs, Ivan Tsarevich and the Gray Wolf, Urfin Jus), preschool education series Luntik, and family series Barboskins, monetized through theatrical release, television licensing, international streaming, character merchandising, and games.

Product overview

Melnitsa Animation Studio is a St. Petersburg-based animation studio producing feature films, television series, and computer games. The studio operates as a full-service animation house with over 150 artists handling all production stages in-house. The product portfolio centers on major animated film franchises including the 'Three Bogatyrs' franchise (featuring Russian epic heroes Aleksey Popovich, Dobrynya Nikitich, and Ilya Muromets), the 'Ivan Tsarevich and the Gray Wolf' series, and the 'Urfin Jus' adaptations of Alexander Volkov's works. Supporting these theatrical releases are television series such as 'Luntik' (a long-running educational preschool series with over 389 episodes and 2 billion YouTube views) and 'Barboskins' (a family comedy series). The studio also produces computer games including educational titles based on 'Luntik' and adventure games based on its animated films. A sound production subsidiary, Midi Cinema, handles all audio production including Dolby-certified surround sound mixing. The studio works with strategic partners including 1C Games for computer games and CTB Film Company for live-action co-productions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Midi Cinema (Миди Синема): Sound division of Melnitsa handling all audio production including recording, sound design, editing, Dolby Digital mixing, Russian dubbing, and music composition.

Products and services

• Three Bogatyrs (Три богатыря) Franchise Flagship theatrical franchise featuring Russian epic heroes Alyosha Popovich, Dobrynya Nikitich, and Ilya Muromets. Sequels are released in Russian and CIS cinemas during New Year holiday windows and consistently rank among Russia's highest-grossing animated features. The latest sequel grossed over $32 million at the Russian box office.
• Ivan Tsarevich and the Gray Wolf (Иван Царевич и Серый Волк) Franchise Animated film series about Ivan Tsarevich and his helper the Gray Wolf. The first film became the most profitable Russian film of 2012 with $24.62M in box office receipts from Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Belarus. Franchise has produced multiple theatrical sequels.
• Urfin Jus (Урфин Джюс) Franchise Animated films based on Alexander Volkov's books about the Wizard of the Emerald City. The first film marked the studio's first full-length production using 3D animation technology.
• Luntik (Лунтик) / Moonzy Animated Series Educational animated series for preschoolers about a small purple creature born on the moon who fell to Earth. Each episode is a small lesson teaching children to distinguish good and evil, developed with kindergarten pedagogy experts. The Luntik YouTube channel reached 2 billion views, the largest animation channel on YouTube worldwide.
• Barboskins / The Pooches (Барбоскины) Animated Series Animated series about a fun modern dog family in relatable everyday situations with humor suited to children aged 5 to 12. Ranked 3rd in Top 5 Most Successful Russian Animation Projects after three years on air. The series generated over 1,500 licensed merchandise positions during 2011-2014.
• Krepost / Fortress (Крепость) Animated Film Historical full-length animated film depicting the heroic defense of Smolensk in the 17th century. Released in theaters for the Day of National Unity holiday window.
• Karlik Nos / The Dwarf Nose Animated Film Full-length animated fairy tale based on Alexander Volkov's novel. One of the first three domestic Russian full-length animated feature films released in post-Soviet Russia, marking the studio's theatrical breakthrough.
• Pro Fedota-Streltsa (Про Федота-стрельца) Animated Film Full-length animated feature based on a Russian folk ballad about Fedot the bold archer and his adventures.
• Lavatory Lovestory (Уборная история — любовная история) Short Film Award-winning short animated film about a love story in an unexpected location. Won Best Screenplay at Suzdal Animation Festival and received an Oscar nomination in 2009 in the Best Animated Short Film category.
• We Cannot Live Without Cosmos (Мы не можем жить без космоса) Short Film Short animated film by director Konstantin Bronzit about two friends who dream of spaceflight. Won Grand Prix at Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Zagreb Animation Festival, and Hiroshima Animation Festival, plus Oscar nomination in 2015.
• Little Vasilisa (Маленькая Василиса) Short Film Author's animated fairy tale by Darina Shmidt using patchwork sewing technique, presenting a collection of children's fairy tale elements.
• Box Ballet (БоксБалет) Short Film Short animated film that won Best Animated Film at the IN THE PALACE International Short Film Festival in Sofia, Bulgaria, qualifying it for Oscar nomination consideration. Directed by Anton Dyakov.
• Luntik Educational Computer Game Series Collection of educational computer games for children aged 5-7 built on the Luntik brand, produced with strategic partner 1C Games. Includes titles on preparation for school, mathematics, Russian language, and English language — each teaching reading, counting, alphabet, and basic skills through interactive mini-games featuring Luntik characters. Distributed on PC (1C Games), App Store, and Google Play.
• Ilya Muromets and Solovey-Razboynik Adventure Game Adventure/quest game based on the animated film about legendary hero Ilya Muromets, produced with 1C Games using the QD Engine development tool. Players join the hero to find the golden treasure and restore justice.
• Midi Cinema Sound Studio Services Wholly-owned subsidiary handling all in-house sound production for Melnitsa and external clients, including speech recording, sound effects, TV and film re-recording, music composition, Russian language dubbing, and Dolby Digital surround sound mixing. Certified by Dolby Lab in 2005.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $32 million box office gross for 'Три богатыря на дальних берегах' - greatest success among Russian full-length cartoons
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• INK GlobalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2017International licensing agent representing Melnitsa for global markets. Licensing agreement signed autumn 2017. Handles distribution to Amazon Prime, HappyKids, HOP! (Israel), and Planet Sony (Turkey).
• 1C Games (Moscow)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner for computer game development. Melnitsa produces games based on animated features with 1C Games. Includes 'Илья Муромец и Соловей-Разбойник The Game', 'Алеша Попович и Тугарин Змей The Game', 'Добрыня Никитич и Змей Горыныч The Game', 'Три богатыря и Шамаханская царица The Game', and educational Luntik games.
• CTB Film Company (St. Petersburg)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner and co-producer of feature films alongside Melnitsa. CTB is one of Russia's most successful live-action film producers. Joint projects include the Three Bogatyrs franchise, Ivan Tsarevich and Gray Wolf franchise, and others.
• Nashe Kino (Distributor)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFilm distribution company handling theatrical releases of Melnitsa films in Russia. Distributed all parts of the Three Bogatyrs franchise and Ivan Tsarevich series. Films compete successfully at box office against Hollywood imports.
• Russia-1 Television ChannelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-producer of animated series 'Лунтик и его друзья' (since 2006 premiere on 'Спокойной ночи, малыши!') and 'Барбоскины'. Also co-producer of 3D film 'Урфин Джюс и его деревянные солдаты'.
• Karousel TV ChannelcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRussian children's television channel broadcasting Melnitsa content. Luntik and Barboskins rank among top-3 most popular children's programs on the channel.
• Amazon Prime Video (VOD)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStreaming platform acquiring rights for 'Лунтик и его друзья' and 'Барбоскины' for USA, Canada, and UK markets.
• HappyKids (OTT)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOver-the-top streaming platform acquiring rights for 'Лунтик и его друзья' and 'Барбоскины' for USA, Canada, and UK markets.
• Scholastic Entertainment (USA)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAmerican educational media company ordering animated shorts from Melnitsa. Projects include 'There Was an Old Lady' and 'House That Jack Built'.
• Poseidon Film Distributors (London)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLondon-based company that ordered 'Look Before You Leap' animated short. Previously collaborated on 'Medvedi-Spasiteli' (Rescue Bears) series.
• Google (USA)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for entering US market. Collaboration with Google to distribute Melnitsa content to American audiences.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/melnitsa-animation-studio

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Melnitsa Animation Studio