Review of Alosha (playing Sunday, October 15 at 10.30 a.m.)

Alosho Popovich may look like your typical comic book hero, but there's just one small problem.

The brawny son of a Russian priest, he is not the sharpest tool in the box.

He concocts a plan with his elderly uncle to save his village from the fearsome army of Tugarin but it all goes wrong and he ends up losing the villagers' entire stash of gold to the enemy.

What follows is an enjoyable journey in which he seeks to recover the lost treasure, accompanied by the uncle, his fresh-faced fianc?e and her donkey, the girl's gnarled but sharp-witted aunt and an incredibly irritating talking horse.

To be fair, the film is aimed at youngsters aged five and up and the horse will surely delight most of them.

There's a definite touch about him of Eddie Murphy's wonderful Donkey from Shrek but this fellow is not nearly as loveable.

Still, he certainly provides a few laughs as the motley crew make their way to the Tugarin camp, meeting a fair few obstacles along the way.

The animation used in the film is nothing spectacular but is very pleasing to watch; lots of bright colours and easy-on-the-eye shapes.

I particularly liked Alosho's pretty girlfriend, whose saucer eyes and long red braids were like a softer, rounder version of a Japanese Manga character.

The music is pretty funky too.

There is a lovely bit at the start when Alosha's uncle meets a band of singing and dancing gypsies and buys the horse from them (big mistake!).

Later, Alosho and his uncle start to sing a mournful tune but the horse steps in with a far more energetic number, which kids and adults alike will love.

The dubbed cartoon is an hour and 16 minutes long and is engrossing throughout.

Alosho and his pals cross a treacherous ravine, brave their way through a dark cave and do battle with the mighty Tugarin.

All of their struggles inevitably end comically, with a few jokes for older viewers cheekily thrown in as well.

The moral of the tale ? that it is better to be brave and honourable than rich ? is never forced down our throats, but cleverly woven into the plot.

And those who do seek only to gain for themselves inevitably get their comeuppance (except the horse, whom I would have been happy to see turned into burgers).

All in all, I can see why this is the highest-grossing Russian animated feature of all time. I'd definitely recommend it.