Cartoon created about legendary pilot Oleksiy "Moonfish" Mes, first to take F-16 into Ukrainian skies
An animated film about Oleksiy "Moonfish" Mes – the first Ukrainian pilot to take an F-16 fighter jet into battle – was presented on August 6 in Kyiv at the War Museum, the press service of Travelbook project reported.
"An animated film has been released about Oleksiy ‘Moonfish’ Mes – the first Ukrainian pilot to take an F-16 fighter jet into battle. It tells Oleksiy’s story in a language understandable even to the youngest viewers. This is the first episode of a new cartoon series Travelbook. Heroes about the heroes of Russia’s war against Ukraine," reads the press release received by the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Friday.
Oleksiy Mes was a colonel in the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and a Hero of Ukraine.
He received the call sign "Moonfish" long before becoming one of the first Ukrainian F-16 pilots. In 2022, together with his brother-in-arms Andriy "Juice" Pilschikov, he persuaded international partners to transfer modern fighter jets to Ukraine. And when the decision was finally made, he led the first group of pilots who mastered the aircraft in the US over the course of a year. After the arrival of the F-16s in Ukraine, it was Moonfish who was the first to take the fighter jet into battle.
The appearance of the first F-16s in the summer of 2024 marked a turning point in Ukraine’s defense. Since then, Oleksiy flew dozens of combat missions and destroyed multiple aerial targets. On August 26, 2024, while repelling a combined Russian missile and drone attack, he was killed defending the Ukrainian sky.
"The cartoon about Moonfish is a story about a heroic deed and about a man: his dreams, love, and daily life cut short by war. The pilot’s wife, Yulia Mes, helped the authors make the film as truthful as possible. She shared memories and made sure that every recreated fact from Oleksiy’s life corresponded to reality," the project’s press release states.
"When Travelbook team and I discussed the idea for the cartoon, my main request was: let it be about Oleksiy, but – for Ulyana. That is our little daughter. For her father, she was the greatest treasure," said the hero’s wife.
"War takes people away, but we must not allow it to take away the memory of them as well. I sincerely thank the entire team that worked on creating the cartoon," emphasized Yulia Mes.
The premiere of the film took place at the War Museum alongside an exhibition of the pilot’s personal belongings. The event was attended by representatives of the Ukrainian Air Force, Oleksiy’s family and brothers-in-arms, as well as opinion leaders and volunteers supporting the project.
The first cartoon of Travelbook. Heroes series about Oleksiy "Moonfish" Mes can be watched for free on the project’s YouTube channel.
Travelbook is a Ukrainian multimedia project that has been creating an animated series and illustrated publications about Ukraine and prominent Ukrainians in an edutainment format since 2017. The project’s new animated cycle "Heroes" is dedicated to the heroes of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The first cartoon in the series is about military pilot and Hero of Ukraine Oleksiy "Moonfish" Mes. The cartoon was voiced by Serhiy Zhadan.