official presentation of the finished film took place on February 3, 2006, for the press. A sequel, Prince Vladimir - The Feat (Князь Владимир. Подвиг) was scheduled for release in 2008, but cancelled. Reception Many in the public thought that the film was part of the light-hearted "3 bogatyrs" trilogy by Melnitsa Animation Studio (the second film in the trilogy, Dobrynya Nikitich and Zmey Gorynych, was due for release on March 16), and were surprised and dismayed at the film's serious tone. Critical reaction was mixed. Critics praised the film's art and animation but criticized it for its inaccurate portrayal of the historical period and for perceived ideological pandering to its main sponsor, the Russian Orthodox Church. It is the highest-grossing Russian animated film of all time, taking in $5.8 million since its release, and is the third highest-grossing animated film within Russia (behind Madagascar and Flushed Away). It cost $5 million to make, however (far more than Melnitsa's films, which are made for about $300,000 or a million), the film is thought to have either lost money or narrowly broken even. Voice cast See also History of Russian animation List of animated feature films List of historical drama films External links Film Trailers Andrei Ryabovitchev's blog - info and artwork from the film (2005-early 2006 entries) References 2006 films Animated films based on Slavic mythology Biographical action films Christian animation Cultural depictions of Vladimir the Great Films about Christianity Films about Orthodoxy Films based on Russian folklore Films set in Russia Films set in the 10th century Films set in the 11th century Films set in the Byzantine Empire Films set in Ukraine Historical action films Kievan Rus in fiction Russian animated films 2000s Russian-language films Russian children's fantasy films Russian biographical films Russian historical films