Louis Hagen

The Art of Lotte Reiniger

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 Star of Bethlehem

The Three Wise Men from the East follow the star to Bethlehem, but hostile spirits try to stop them on their journey.

Thumbelina

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.

Puss in Boots

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.

The Adventures of Prince Achmed

Taken from The Arabian Nights, the film tells the story of a wicked sorcerer who tricks Prince Achmed into mounting a magical flying horse and sends the rider off on a flight to his death. But the prince foils the magician’s plan, and soars headlong into a series of wondrous adventures.