Dobroye Utro program (Rossiya TV channel)
The foreign Pigs in the Outer Space will have to squeeze up to make room soon – the Russian Star Dogs go into the extraterrestrial space. Russian animators are getting ready to make a second launch of the legendary Belka and Strelka to the orbit. The historical event known to everybody will turn into an exciting movie thanks to their good graces, with some elements of an action movie, comedy and melodrama.

Maxim Gladikov, modeler of computer characters: this is a squirrel, the main personage, she’s a circus actress, she’s a little bit naïve, a little bit foolish. You see that. She’s never been to a scrapeyard while Strelka lived there. Strelka is a more ordinary, common dog, a little stupid.

Belka and Strelka’s company will consist of characters history is silent about such as rat Lyonya, a street thief… Those flamboyant characters are post-synchronized by Yevgeny Mironov and Sergey Garmash. The skittish Belka will be synchronized by Inga Oboldina, the Yelena Yakovleva practically fell in love with mongrel dog Strelka. As the actress is a dog-fancier herself with a wide experience, the synchronization for the tailed character was not a problem for her.

Yelena Yakovleva, People’s artist of Russia: It seems to me that my voice over an empty space is not as rich as at the sketches. I realize that it will be drawn to the end then and it will be lovely, and I want everything at once: to breath, to look for fleas, to scratch, to tell something, and so on. Because she’s such a simple, steadfast, strong creature.

The authors have eliminated most Soviet attributes from the story of the space Odyssey, they added something and made it more beautiful. But generally they didn’t make an offense against the historic truth.

Svyatoslav Ushakov, production director: The flight will be shown in any case, the return will also be. The basic things will happen. They won’t fly to another planet, won’t talk to Martians. All this is close to real events.

At the moment, the Start Dogs are far from space feats: their computer bodies are only learning to walk, speak and rustle with their animated hair. The Cinema Flight Control Center will need one year and a half more for the training. On January 9, 2009, Belka and Strelka will be solemnly launched on a trip through wide screens.