I actually like this one more than the original - the songs are equally as memorable (and they seem to run all the way through the film without break, more so than in the original), and a lot of other things are done better. The sleuth is a fun new addition, I like that the backgrounds are no longer in crayon but more similar in style to how the characters are drawn, and the story, while still minimal, is stronger (with no more dubious tricks by the "heroes" like dressing up as bandits to trick the king). I guess it's because Livanov was director - I think he cared more about polish than Kovalevskaya did. Shame it was his last director's credit in animation, but I suppose he went on to bigger things.