Alisa Knows What to Do!

Lore & Background

The series premiered on 16 November 2013 on STS, one day before the official birthday of Alisa, and later on 3 February 2014 on the Carousel TV channel. It is the first screen version of Alisa Selezneva to use computer animation and the first in which many episodes are original stories rather than direct adaptations of Bulychev's books. The English dub cast includes Laurie Hymes as Alisa, Mike Pollock as Mr. Peterson, and Marc Thompson as Eric Schroedinger, among others. The Russian voice cast features Darya Melnikova, Armen Dzhigarkhanyan, and Miroslava Karpovich, with guest stars such as Gosha Kutsenko and Garik Kharlamov.

Reader's Guide

Alisa Knows What to Do! represents a significant shift in the adaptation of Kir Bulychev's beloved character Alisa Selezneva, being the first to employ computer animation and to introduce original storylines not found in the source books. This allowed the series to expand the universe beyond the existing literary canon. The series aired on major Russian networks STS and Carousel, and its English dub featured notable voice actors. A separate cycle of humorous episodes titled 'Alisa CLUB' was released in 2016. A film continuation titled My Super Dad, produced by Bazelevs, was released on 30 March 2018, with a voice cast including Darya Melnikova, Timur Rodriguez, Konstantin Khabensky, and Vasilisa Savkina.

Did You Know?

• Many episodes are original stories not directly based on the books by Kir Bulychev.
• A film continuation titled My Super Dad was released on 30 March 2018.

Origins & Production Context

Alisa Knows What to Do! is a Russian animated series that brings to life the adventures of Alisa Selezneva, the beloved character created by author Kir Bulychev. The series made its television debut on November 16, 2013, on the STS channel, a date deliberately chosen to fall one day before Alisa's official birthday as celebrated by fans. Just three months later, on February 3, 2014, the show found a second home on the Carousel TV channel, broadening its audience reach within Russia. What sets this adaptation apart from any previous screen portrayals of Bulychev's character is twofold. First, it is the first screen version in which a significant number of episodes present entirely original stories rather than direct adaptations of the source novels. Second, it marks the first time the Alisa Selezneva universe was rendered through computer animation, a technical leap that gave the series a distinctly modern visual identity while honoring the spirit of Bulychev's science-fiction world.

English Dubbing & International Reach

The series achieved notable international distribution through a full English-language dubbing, which required an extensive roster of voice talent. Laurie Hymes took on the lead role of Alisa, while the supporting cast was handled by a large ensemble of actors, many of whom voiced multiple characters across the series. Mike Pollock lent his voice to Mr. Peterson, Poly-R, Zdob, and the Spaceship Voice, while Billy Bob Thompson portrayed a remarkable array of characters including Alex Taylor, Curator Selgeh, Prince Taqlee, and numerous others. Tom Wayland similarly filled a wide range of roles, from Itrod and Eeek to Dibalan Pilot and Security Selgeh. The depth of the English cast—spanning names like Jason Griffith, Graham Halstead, Michael Frazer, and Jason O'Connell among many others—suggests a production committed to delivering a rich, multi-voiced experience for English-speaking audiences. The sheer number of distinct characters assigned to individual performers underscores the series' sprawling narrative scope and its ambition to translate Bulychev's colorful world into a format accessible beyond Russian-language viewers.

Russian Voice Talent & Guest Appearances

On the Russian-language side, the series attracted a substantial and recognizable voice cast. Darya Melnikova, Armen Dzhigarkhanyan, Miroslava Karpovich, and Anna Ardova formed part of the core vocal ensemble, joined by names such as Dmitry Nazarov, Alexey Kolgan, Irina Grishina, Viktor Andrienko, and Valery Storozhik, among others. The presence of established performers in the voice booth signals the production's commitment to quality performance and its appeal to a broad domestic audience. Equally noteworthy is the roster of guest stars who appeared in the series, lending their names and voices to special episodes or crossover moments. This list includes Igor Taradaikin, Pyotr Glanz, Garik Kharlamov, Anna Galler, Artur Smolyaninov, and Gosha Kutsenko, alongside Natalia Bistrova, Anton Bogdanov, and Andrei Birin. The inclusion of such varied and well-known figures in guest roles suggests the series functioned not only as a children's animation but also as a platform for crossover appeal, drawing in older viewers who recognized familiar faces from film and television.

Franchise Expansion & Legacy

The success of the original series paved the way for further creative expansion of the Alisa Selezneva universe on screen. In 2016, a separate cycle of humorous episodes was released under the title Alisa CLUB, offering a lighter, comedic take on the character and her world. This spinoff cycle demonstrated the franchise's ability to adapt its tone while retaining the core appeal of Bulychev's protagonist. The franchise's most significant extension came in 2018 with the release of My Super Dad, a feature-film continuation produced by Bazelevs and released on March 30, 2018. The film brought together a voice cast that included Darya Melnikova—carrying continuity from the series—alongside Timur Rodriguez, Konstantin Khabensky, and Vasilisa Savkina. The move from television episodes to a theatrical film marked a major milestone, signaling that the Alisa Selezneva brand had grown into a multimedia property capable of sustaining both serialized storytelling and standalone cinematic narratives, all while remaining rooted in Bulychev's original literary vision.

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