'War on Shrek:' Russian lawmakers slam Western cartoons for ‘destructive impact’ on children

Russian lawmakers have taken aim at Western animated films, toys, and video games, claiming characters like Shrek and the Grinch have a “destructive impact” on Russian children, The Moscow Times reported.

“They don’t seem bad, but they have both physical and personality flaws,” said State Duma deputy Yana Lantratova, who showed slides comparing “good” Soviet-era characters to their Western counterparts at a roundtable discussion.

One slide, as cited by The Moscow Times, warned that with the rise of Western culture, flawed characters had been elevated to heroes, and the idea of a purely positive figure had faded.

Shrek, the Grinch, and characters from Monsters, Inc. were all used as examples.

Sergei Mironov, head of the A Just Russia party, framed the trend as part of a broader “hybrid war” being waged by the West.

“If you want to defeat the enemy, raise their children,” he said, adding “Unfortunately, [Western countries] are very actively engaged in indoctrinating our children.”

Lantratova added that legal loopholes make it difficult for Russian authorities to block such content, but said she plans to submit proposals to a Duma group working on enforcing “traditional Russian spiritual values.”