In 1957, Elbert Tuganov produced the first Estonian puppet film Little Peter’s Dream. By his retirement in 1982, he had made 38 internationally acclaimed puppet films including a unique stereoscopic puppet film, Souvenir (1977). He laid the foundation for the now 64-year-old Nukufilm Studio in Estonia. As a missionary of animation, he wrote animation books and conducted workshops.

For the modern viewer, watching Tuganov’s films is a call to change established attitudes. Among his 38 films are films that were shelved because of their intrinsic nature, such as An Almost Incredible Story (1962) and That’s it! (1963). Tuganov seemed to be critical of capitalism, but in fact, some of his films were actually condemning the ruling Soviet system. Human values simply do not tolerate stupidity, regardless of social order and ideology. Atom-Boy and Atom-Boy and the Thugs (1970) are worth re-watching because they can provide an impetus for understanding our seemingly chaotic world of today.

– Mait Lass & Hendrik Alla