Upon the Magic Roads is a 2021 Russian live-action/animated fairy tale fantasy film directed by Oleg Pogodin from a screenplay by Aleksey Borodachyov.

[4][5][6][7] The film stars Anton Shagin as Ivan the Fool, and Paulina Andreeva as the Tsar Maiden with the voices of Pavel Derevyanko, Lyasan Utiasheva, and Aleksandr Semchev.

[9][10] The set pieces tried to recreate the fantasy world by Yershov, filming in an exact copy of the fairy tale city.

The style used in the film was intended to recreate the Tsarist period of time described in Yershov's fairy tale, using a combination of Russian Art Nouveau and fairy-tale elements.

John and the Foal will have to test their friendship, face an insidious adversary and overcome incredible trials to find the Cloud Princess.

The father instructs his sons to stand guard at night, so that they will find out who trampled the wheat, and the brothers, in turn, send the youngest, Ivan the fool (John), there instead.

At night, John, sweetly chatting with the hedgehog, which he had previously saved, sees the outline of a mare and throws the rope into a misty cloud.

The Sleeping Bag suggests sending the groom to retrieve The Firebird, and then executing him for not following the King's order, as he thinks that John will not be able to find it.

The King, hating John more and more, at the instigation of the Sleeping Bag, sends him to retrieve the Tsar-maiden, thinking that he will not be able to cope with this task, since the maiden lives in an Ice country on a high rock.

The king wants to get married right away, but the girl refuses to do so without her grandmother's ring, which she dropped in the ocean years ago.

John, who has already fallen in love with the Tsar-maiden, asks the King for the impossible job, so as not to think about the upcoming wedding and the maiden herself.

At night, the girl tells the Foal that in the first cauldron, it is necessary to throw her grandmother's ring, in the second — the feather of the Firebird, and in the third - the flower of life and death that grows at the end of the world, and then John will remain alive.

In the first cauldron, the girl throws her ring, and John is carried out of there safely, in the second, the Firebird's feather falls in, and he also remains unharmed.

The Foal patiently waits for his death, but the Tsar Maiden reveals to him that the words of the flower were just a test, and if he hadn't plucked it, he actually would've died, but now, he never will.

The Russian fairy tale is based on the work of Pyotr Pavlovich Yershov, The Humpbacked Horse, first published in 1834.

Yershov's role in the Russian literature was noted by Lyubov Nechaeva, head of the Ishim Museum Complex, who said: "Pyotr Pavlovich is our everything!

Therefore, on the eve of the large-format premiere of The Humpbacked Horse, we decided to remind Russians again that this writer is of Siberian blood, and his small homeland is around Ishim.

[16] More than half a century later, the third film adaptation, Upon the Magic Roads was released based on the script of director Oleg Pogodin, who has credits with works, including the TV series Sherlock Holmes.

If we, our heroes, will be associated for children with their childhood, if they matured and say 'We grew up watching your films', this will be the greatest joy for me,”says Paulina Andreeva.

[17] CGF is one of the largest virtual effects studios in Russia, directed by Alexander Gorokhov, who became one of the film's producers.

Russian Art Nouveau combined with fairy-tale elements - facades decorated in the style of animals and birds, flowers and ornaments, similar to the Apartment House of the Trinity Church on Gryazekh in Moscow.

According to the stage designers, the fairy tale city emerged from the market, which had five houses, a gate and part of a palace.

[25] Giant cauldrons, modeled on Russian coins with a touch of green patina, are part of the film's visual production.

Russia 1 TV channel and Sony Pictures Productions and Releasing (SPPR) have formed a promotional program for the film.

The review dispelled all doubts about the impossibility of continuing the creative legacy of Soviet times: “But here it is, a miracle: in the Little Humpbacked Horse there is a character with a weather vane on his head, and he is organically inscribed in the space of the capital's Tsar Grad.

"[21] Susanna Alperina's review of Rossiyskaya Gazeta says that before the premiere, everyone is waiting to see if the plot matches the original material.

"[23] Rodion Chemonin for Film.ru noted that the well-established translations of Ershov's poem “from a poetic source into a prosaic one” by Alexei Borodachev and Oleg Pogodin are stable.

Bright backgrounds, elaborate fantastic animals, birds and fish, exceptionally finely selected colors, well-placed light - it's all amazing.

Anton Shagin “demonstrates to Vanin his youthful ardor, naivety and innocence” while “Paulina Andreeva plays a witty, emancipated person, capable of building a whole kingdom into a frunt, walks around in the costume of Baron Munchausen, does not climb into his pocket for a word, leads the tsar by the nose, herself her betrothed chooses.

[51] In less than three weeks of distribution, the film managed to maintain the record, increasing its average attendance to four million people.