Buratino (film)

Buratino (Russian: Буратино) is an upcoming Russian musical fantasy film directed by Igor Voloshin, is an adaptation of the novel The Golden Key, or The Adventures of Buratino by Aleksey Tolstoy (English: Alexei Tolstoy). This novel, in turn an adaptation of the 1883 Italian novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. The film stars child actress Vitaliya Korniyenko as the title character, and Aleksandr Yatsenko as Papa Carlo,^[1] alongside Anastasiya Talyzina, Mark Eydelshteyn, Stepan Belozyorov, Ruzil Minekaev, Fyodor Bondarchuk, Viktoriya Isakova, Alexander Petrov, Lev Zulkarnaev, and Svetlana Nemolyaeva.^[2] The film will feature the legendary music of Alexey Rybnikov, creator of the original soundtrack for the 1975 Soviet television film.

Buratino is scheduled to be theatrically released on January 1, 2026, by National Media Group Film Distribution.^[3]

Carlo suddenly comes into possession of an ancient magic key that can grant any wish. Carlo wants only one thing – a son. This wish is almost fulfilled, but everything doesn't go according to plan. The log comes to life, and from it emerges a smart, cheerful, and wooden boy. Over time, he begins to realize that he is different from others, and he decides to set out on a long journey to prove to his father that he is a good son.^[4]

• Vitaliya Korniyenko as Buratino, a puppet
• Aleksandr Yatsenko as Papa Carlo, an organ grinder and Buratino's adoptive father
• Anastasiya Talyzina as Malvina, a blue-haired puppet girl
• Mark Eydelshteyn as Artemon, a poodle, Malvina's devoted servant
• Stepan Belozyorov as Pierrot, a puppet and poet in love with Malvina
• Ruzil Minekaev as Harlequin, a puppet and Pierrot's stage partner
• Fyodor Bondarchuk as Karabas Barabas, a wealthy doctor of puppetry and director of a puppet theater
• Viktoriya Isakova as Alice the Fox, a street swindler who pretends to be lame
• Alexander Petrov as Basilio the Cat, a street swindler who pretends to be blind
• Lev Zulkarnaev as Duremar, a seller of medicinal leeches
• Svetlana Nemolyaeva as Tortilla the Turtle, a wise old turtle from the pond

• Vanya Dmitrienko as Giovanni the Cockroach
• Anton Shastun as Anton the Cockroach

The film's production began in May 2023. Igor Voloshin is directing the project, and the original plot featuring characters beloved by several generations of viewers is being developed by screenwriters Aksinya Borisova and Andrey Zolotarev. Production is being handled by the Vodorod Film Company.

By April 2024, the acting team had been formed. The role of Buratino will be played by 14-year-old Vitaliya Korniyenko, a child actress who plays a wooden boy in a mocap suit that uses sensors to track and record movements.

Anastasiya Talyzina will play Malvina, a girl with blue hair, and her faithful dog Artemon, will be played by Mark Eydelshteyn. Stepan Belozyorov will play the sad, poetic Pierrot, and his opposite, the bright, playful Harlequin, will be played by Ruzil Minekaev.

As for the cunning duo, Basilio the Cat and Alice the Fox, they have been entrusted to Alexander Petrov and Viktoriya Isakova, while actor Lev Zulkarnaev will play Duremar, Karabas-Barabas's assistant. And People's Artist of the RSFSR Svetlana Nemolyaeva has been entrusted with the role of the wise Tortilla.

Principal photography for Buratino began in October 2024 in the Moscow Oblast, specifically at the Moskino cinema park, and was completed in December 2024.^[5]

Vitaliya Korniyenko will transform into the real-life wooden boy Buratino on the big screen using motion capture technology.

The film's soundtrack was created by Alexey Rybnikov and his son, Dmitry Rybnikov. The composer wrote the music for the 1975 Soviet film The Adventures of Buratino – its main song, Bu-ra-ti-no!, was co-written with poet Yuri Entin. It became one of the key musical themes, now firmly associated with the film and its protagonist. Alexey Rybnikov also wrote the music for one of the most famous Russian rock operas, Juno and Avos.

When writing the film's soundtrack, Alexey and Dmitry Rybnikov used artificial intelligence: it helped create the perfect Italian pronunciation for one of the songs.

In December 2024, distributor NMG Kinoprokat announced two sequels. The second part will be released on January 1, 2028, and the third on January 1, 2029.

• Buratino at IMDb