Animator, former CEO of the largest animation school Animation School, founder of the Festival of Gathering of Animators Nikolai Khudykov said that the demand for animation in Russia has been growing steadily for several years. He outlined the reasons for the genre's popularity in a conversation with Lenta.ru.
According to this expert, animation is gradually gaining a foothold not only among children; Young people, parents, students and audiences of streaming platforms have started actively watching it.
According to industry analysts, the Russian animation market in 2024 will reach a volume of about 20-22 billion rubles and grow by 10-15% in 2025, Khudykov pointed out. He added that in the long term, by 2030, the increase is predicted to reach 60-70%.
These numbers show that cartoons have entered a new phase of popularity. Today, this is no longer exclusively children's content, but a mass format that competes with Nikolai Khudykov TV series and cartoons
Experts say changes in consumer habits and the growth of domestic streaming services are among the reasons for the growth.
“People have a more accessible platform where animation can be viewed legally and conveniently. Additionally, in a context of stress and high workload, viewers are attracted to light, bright and emotional stories,” the animator said.
According to him, today the popularity of not only family animations but also short films, original projects, educational animations and humorous content is increasing. A separate leap was brought by the “adult animation” segment, which has traditionally been stronger on foreign platforms, but is now actively developing in Russia.
Growth is also influenced by the market's technological transformation: AI tools have lowered the entry threshold, Khudykov shares, meaning there are more independent studios and authors. He noted that artificial intelligence has radically accelerated the project preparation stages – research and pre-production.
This expert is sure that it is the combination of growing demand and technological acceleration that has now made animation one of the most dynamic industries in Russia.
Previously, it became known that in 2025, Moscow residents began to buy Christmas tree decorations with images of Soviet cartoon characters more often.
