The New Bremen Musicians 2000

A son is born to Troubadour [Filipp Kirkorov] and the Princess [Yelena Kuzmina], while the King [Mikhail Boyarskiy] has fallen into poverty. The Chieftain, along with the bandits, has reformed and retrained into a banker who owns the bank “Byaki-Buki” and lives in comfortable luxury. Although the Chieftain got rich, she still wants more — her ultimate desire is power. The story sets a mood of shifting loyalties and a kingdom held together by art, music, and a hint of danger.

To undermine the King, the Detective [Alex Shaw] collects “compromising evidence” and shows the Chieftain photographs that reveal a lonely, impoverished ruler. She comes to the palace and invites him to marry her, assuring wealth, but the King refuses, clinging to pride even as his realm trembles under the Chieftain’s ambition.

Back at the bank, the Chieftain hatches a plan to kidnap the junior Troubadour. For this she calls the Genius Detective, and he sets out in search of the young Troubadour, stirring a tension that threads through every corner of the story.

Troubadour Jr. [Anton Bizeyev], studying at the Music Academy, does not know about his origins. The Donkey [Georgi Mamikonov], the Dog [Sergey Mazaev], the Cat [Gennadiy Gladkov], and the Rooster [Sergey Penkin] try to teach him “classical music,” but Troubadour Jr. dreams of “singing rock’n’roll” — a notion that puzzles the educators, because the quartet’s own music carries a surprising energy that hints at that spirit. After offending the academicians, he remains alone and begins to dream of adventure. Immediately in front of him appears the Detective and reveals the secret of his origin. Then he suggests to Troubadour Jr. to go to the grandfather King, to which Troubadour Jr. agrees. After this revelation, the King cheers up and throws a ball in honor of the heir.

During the ball, three Robber [Leonid Serebrennikov]s of the Chieftain, dressed in servant costumes, kidnap Troubadour Jr., lulling the room with a sleeping aid made from tarragon. Together with the Detective, they deliver him to the bank and lock him in a safe. In the palace they leave a note from the Chieftain: “Either marry me tomorrow or say goodbye to your grandson!” The King immediately raises his entire guard and charges toward the bank “Byaki-Buki.” Alongside the guards, the Bremen musicians join the assault, but when they reach the bank they are confronted by the Syllabus, an expert in martial arts. After their initial defeat, the musicians rethink their plan, while the Princess proposes a new course of action. The King then sends a telegram to the Chieftain with his consent.

The next day a wedding cortege arrives at the palace. From it appears the Chieftain in a veil, and behind her are the robbers carrying the hostage. They are greeted by the Dog, the Donkey, the Cat and the Rooster, who deliver strange verses. While they distract the Chieftain, the Dog swaps the bags. Everyone is waiting for the King to show up and suddenly he appears dressed in a dressing gown, slippers and without a wig. He declares that he agrees to marry, but refuses power and transfers the crown to his grandson. Angered by the turn of events, the Chieftain shouts for the King to leave.

Then Troubadour Jr. appears wearing the crown and mantle and orders the guards to arrest the Robbers, the Chieftain and the Detective. The confounded robbers untie the sack, from which the Cat jumps out. The door opens and a huge knight’s armor emerges (on closer inspection it turns out that the Donkey, Dog and Rooster are wearing the armor), threateningly approaching the kidnappers. In fear, they run away to the jubilation of the crowd. Everyone is happy, and the young Troubadour refuses the crown and receives a guitar as a gift from his father. He finds himself new musician friends: the Donkey, the Dog, the Cat and the Rooster (who all become the animals’ apprentices). They leave with Troubadour Jr. for new adventures.