Videoteca

The Art of Lotte Reiniger 1970
This short documentary looks at the animated art of Lotte Reiniger. We are taken through a demonstration by Lotte herself on the way she cut out, constructed and filmed a silhouette character. She also discusses how she developed the use of coloured gelatines for her backgrounds. To illustrate her output, the documentary includes extracts from several of her films including Papageno (1935), The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926) and The Frog Prince.

The Little Chimney Sweep 1955 star_border 5.7

Jack and the Beanstalk 1955 star_border 7.3

Hansel and Gretel 1954 star_border 6
A silhouette animation based on the Brothers Grimm's fairy tale "Hansel & Gretel".

The Three Wishes 1954 star_border 6

The Caliph Stork 1954 star_border 5
Wishing to take power for himself, a magician tricks his nephew, The Caliph of Baghdad, into sniffing a powder which turns him into a stork.

The Grasshopper and the Ant 1954 star_border 6.3
A musical Grasshopper continues to play his violin while the Ant works hard to prepare for the winter. Later as winter arrives Grasshopper realizes he is not ready for winter and falls ill.

Snow White and Rose Red 1954 star_border 5.1
Snow White and Rose Red give shelter to a bear who reveals himself to be a prince under a spell cast by a wicked dwarf.

Puss in Boots 1954 star_border 6
An animated short film based on the famous fairytale by the Brothers Grimm about the enterprising cat in boots and a feather hat, who manages to procure for his poor master a princess, an ogre's castle, and a kingdom.

Aladdin and the Magic Lamp 1954 star_border 6.7
Aladdin, a poor tailor in Baghdad, discovers a magic lamp with a genie inside. After he uses it to gain wealth and the hand of the caliph's daughter, he must fend off an evil sorcerer who wants the lamp for himself.

The Gallant Little Tailor 1954 star_border 5

Thumbelina 1954 star_border 5
Hans Christian Andersen’s Thumbelina told the tale of a tiny girl grown from seed to be a companion to an old woman, Reiniger has her Thumbelina born spontaneously and magically from a flower, beholden to none but herself.

The Sleeping Beauty 1954 star_border 7.5

Reclaiming American History from Paper Rolls by the Renovare Process 1953
This short film is an illustration of Niver's preservation process of paper print films. Renovare—from the Latin "to renew"—was an apt name for Niver's company, for the Academy Award-winning work that he and his colleagues accomplished has been vital to our collective understanding of cinema's evolution since its origins. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2011.

The Magic Horse 1953 star_border 6
Prince Achmed goes for a ride on a flying horse.