Review of Around the World in Eighty Days

For some unknown reason, this cartoon was released on Soviet Central Television in 1981, and re-ran for several years throughout the 80s. Only 11 out of 16 episodes passed censorship (the one taking place in China didn't make it, but the US ones did). It quickly became a staple for most inquisitive kids of my generation, and opened up the world for many of us. From there, I've learned about many places, such as New Orleans, San Francisco, Mount Fuji (which shows just how little educational children's programming about geography beyond the Iron Curtain existed in those days). The dubbing and translation was first rate, and the Russian version of Passepartout, while having the same tone of voice, was somewhat less annoying than the original. It's hard to say how the show would hold up with today's internet-raised kids, but I have very fond memories of it, and can definitely trace my wanderlust to those 11 episodes.