Soviet Treasure Island

Submission 48,957

Part of a series on Soviet Animation. [View Related Entries]

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About

Soviet Treasure Island is a 1988 animated film based on the 1883 novel Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. Considered a cult classic of soviet animation, the film became a major meme among Russian-speaking internet users starting in 2020, with the character Dr. Livesey gaining particular virality as a Chad character. In August 2022, memes about Dr. Livesey achieved global spread, notably the Livesey Walk meme format.

History

In 1986 and 1988, Kyiv-based Soviet film studio Kievnauchfilm released Treasure Island (rus. Остров Сокровищ), a two-part animated adaptation of the 1883 novel of the same name by Robert Louis Stevenson.^[1] The film, directed by David Cherkassky, combines traditional animation with live-action sequences, and features several song intermissions. On July 6th, 2012, YouTube^[2] user Ruslan Gerbasevskis uploaded the full movie to the platform, where it accumulated over 6.3 million views in ten years. On June 7th, 2012, an English-subtitled version was uploaded to YouTube by Soyuzmultfilm, which is split into nine parts (playlist shown below).

In Memes

On December 10th, 2018, VK^[4] meme page Treasure Island Memes For Every Occasion (rus. МеМы По ОсТрОвУ сОкРоВиЩ нА кАжДыЙ дЕнЬ) was launched, posting memes based on Treasure Island and referencing it. The page accumulated over 76,000 followers and is considered the main driver behind the major popularity of Treasure Island memes among Russian-speaking users in 2020.^[5] On December 11th, 2018, the page posted its first several memes, with the first three posts (shown below) gaining over 50 likes, 80 likes and 80 likes in four years, respectively.

In 2020, the film, a well-recognized cartoon among Russian Millenials and Gen Z, achieved meme status among Russian-speaking internet users. On July 21st, 2020, TJ^[5] reported on the spread of Treasure Island memes, interviewing the VK page's admin. By mid-2020, the film spawned several recognized meme formats and references, including Dr. Livesey's Laugh (rus. Смех Доктора Ливси), Billy Bones Has Died (rus. Билли Бонс умер), Black Dog and Jimmy Hiding Behind a Stove (rus. Черный Пёс и Джимми за печью) (example shown below, left). The film's characters also have been edited into various meme formats (example shown below, center); for example, on April 18th, 2020, artist @artgorn shared^[6]^[7]^[8] three JoJo Approach memes with the film's characters (one example shown below, right).

Soviet Treasure Island Meme Formats

Dr. Livesey Walk

Dr. Livesey Walk refers to a fancam of the character Dr. Livesey walking set to the phonk song "Why Not" by Ghostface Playa. Originally posted by TikTok^[9] user @weirdyunus on July 2nd, 2022, the meme gained viral popularity as source material for video captions and as animation reference (Twitter^[10] reupload shown below).

Dr. Livesey Laugh

In the animated film, Dr. Livesey is an optimist who is quick to laugh independent of the circumstances. Dr. Livesey's laugh has been a popular subject of references in memes (examples shown below).

Treasure Island Character Cards

Treasure Island Character Cards refers to dossier cards that are used to introduce characters in the film. The dossiers are a reference to dossier introductions from the 1973 Soviet spy miniseries Seventeen Moments of Spring.

Trelawney vs. Wall Picture

Trelawney vs. Wall Picture is a meme format referencing a scene in which Squire Trelawney fruitlessly attempts to break a window without realizing that he's actually hitting a painting hanging from the wall.

Creepy Dr. Livesey

Creepy Dr. Livesey refers to memes that imagine Dr. Livesey as a terrifying entity. In August 2021, a comparison format and a remake of Traumatized Mr. Incredible format gained popularity.

Other popular meme formats among Russian-speaking users include Billy Bones Has Died (rus. Билли Бонс умер), Black Dog and Jimmy Hiding Behind a Stove (rus. Черный Пёс и Джимми за печью) and references to Dr. Livesey's line, "The words "rum" and "death" should mean the same thing to you."