Probably all of us wanted to learn how to make animated cartoons in our childhood. This dream came true at the Ilan Club with married couple Jurijus and Milana Rozovskis. On Sunday, April 28, children were invited to make a cartoon with them. Ilan Club was transformed into a real animation studio.

The group decided to animate the classic Russian fairytale Turnip (репа) well known in Lithuanian translation (Ropė). They added to the story with new characters and they themselves became protagonists in the tale.

Milana and Jurijus told and showed the children how make the animation characters move and have facial expressions. The children enthusiastically listened, drew, cut out, painted and posed for the animated film.

Milana answered a few questions for us as well:

Milana, was this activity your idea?

Doing animation has been a dream of mine since I was a child. I do it in my free time, it is not my profession. I am a designer but I’m always doing animation. Before I had children–now I have three–I used to teach a regular workshop for kids on animation. Over the years we made good, serious films and took part at different festivals. The children put the animations together and did the audio in their own voices. Now that I have my own children–a six-year-old, a two-year-old and one who is just six months now–we visit the Jewish Community. We all like it here. So my husband and I decided to do what we do with our children at home and what I did with the children’s animation group previously.

Milana, you have a beautiful family and beautiful children. When do you find the time for this?

I also find time to work! And in my free time I create, animated films are my passion. Time does become available because I have a good husband who helps me in every way. In a word, we do everything together. We have our own company. We take on orders which allow us to work at home with the children, for example, the interior design of a children’s café. Our children help us, they draw things and they come up with plans.

Milana, I’ve seen you quite often at other Ilan Club activities.

I remember when I was a child I used to come here as well. It is a unique place. We parents as well as our children learn something new here. It is wonderful there is this opportunity. I really missed this because I went to a Russian rather than a Jewish school. So my children will undoubtedly go to a Jewish school and will have a good time at the Jewish Community. It’s wonderful!