RUSSIAN animators who get millions of online hits for their 60-second versions of cinema classics have turned their attention to the cult Scottish movie Trainspotting.
The team specialise in manic, minute-long cartoon versions of legendary movies such as Star Wars, Jaws and 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Now they have given Trainspotting the 60-second treatment – packing in Begbie’s bottle-smashing, Renton’s journey into a toilet, and nightmare visions of babies.
The “speedrun” of Trainspotting attracted 38,000 views in the first two days after it was put online.
The team from 1A4 are based in Moscow but keep their identities secret for fear of persecution by the Russian authorities.
They have amassed a total of nine million views, two million of them for their biggest hit, a 60-second version of the Matrix.
Although they produce simple, black and white, line drawn cartoons, the content is not for children.
Swearing and graphic sex is packed into every film – even those that didn’t have it in the original, such as Back to the Future.
The Trainspotting movie starts with Ewan McGregor’s character, Renton, swimming down the toilet before meeting Kelly Macdonald’s Diana character in a club and then overdosing in the flat.
The bar fight with Begbie, played by Robert Carlyle in the film, is recreated a as is Spud’s-played by Ewen Bremner- hilarious interview scene.
The scene with Renton suffering withdrawal hallucinations of a Sickboy’s baby crawling along the ceiling is also squeezed into the 60 second clip.
The video had many comments from fans of the film. One user said: “Bloody spot-on, awesome work!
Another fan of the cartoon said: “I love these things.”
Pulp Fiction, Fight Club and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas are among the other cult hits the team have crunched down to a minute.
The studio’s executive producer, who goes under the name Vassily Chagin, and the lead animator, known only as Fill, have intentionally remained anonymous.
In an interview last year Chagin said: ““It’s because we’re really into blaming religion and authorities, we could never predict which another stupid law will be applied here in Russia, so we’d better hide before s**t happens.”
Because of their anonymity, little is known of the pair other than lead animator Fill is based in Ukraine and Chagin resides in Moscow.
When interviewed they are known to wear makeshift masks using McDonald’s brown paper bags over their heads with eye holes and ear holes for their headphones.
