Dmitry Naumovich Babichenko was a renowned Soviet filmmaker-animator, master of drawing animation, script writer, and artist, born on May 17, 1901, in Zhitomir.
He received his higher education at the Academy of Plastic Arts in Kiev and initially worked as a cartoonist in magazines and newspapers in Kiev and Moscow, before joining the workshop of artistic animation at the Soyuzkino film studios and Mezhrabpomfilm.
Babichenko's creative journey was closely tied to the Soyuzmultfilm studio, where he became one of the leading directors. He worked in various genres, but his most notable achievements were in the realm of fairy-tale animation.
In the 1950s, Babichenko created iconic and unforgettable works that are still celebrated today. His films, such as "A Million in a Sack" and "Greetings to Friends!", earned him prizes at the All-Union Film Festival in 1956-1957. "Little Shego" received a diploma at the International Film Festival in Venice, and "The First Violin" won a prize in 1958.
Babichenko's collaboration with Ivanov-Vano was particularly fruitful, resulting in the creation of the classic Russian animation film "The Adventures of Pinocchio" based on Tolstoy's fairy tale "The Golden Key". The film received the First Prize at the 2nd WCF in Minsk in 1960.
From 1969 to 1975, Babichenko served as the director and artistic director of the animation studio under the Creative Association "Ekran". He passed away on July 30, 1991.
