The Adventures of Prince Achmed, the Oldest Surviving Animated Feature Film, Is Now in the Public Domain (1926)

Death of Prinzen Achmedor Adventures of Prince Achmedhas a legitimate claim to being the earliest animated feature film in existence. If he is awarded that title, he will surpass the next candidate by more than 10 years. meanwhile prince Achmed It was released a century ago in 1926. snow white and the seven dwarfsThe film, which was produced by a man named Walt Disney, wasn’t released in theaters until 1937. The latter film, of course, is a major milestone in film history in that it was the first full-length feature to be made in cel animation. Cel animation was the dominant technology throughout most of the 20th century, and its digital replacement has been deplored by classical animation enthusiasts. But the trembling silhouette prince achmed Here’s an alternative.

production of snow white This was a major undertaking by the standards of the time, requiring Disney to marshal artistic and industrial resources on a scale unknown in animation at the time. prince achmedIn contrast, its existence is largely due to the work of one woman, Lotte Reiniger. schelenschnitt Create a silhouette as a Berlin girl.

Schellenschnitte was inspired by ancient Chinese art that was thought to be paper-cutting and puppetry, but seen today. prince achmed Or other animations created by Reiniger that more easily recall traditional Javanese. wayang clit Shadow Puppetry: In a sense, an aesthetic that ideally matches the original work.

Episodes made up of prince achmedMost of the stories are taken from: thousand and one nights, The evolution of this text over the centuries bears the imprints of many different cultures in Asia and the Middle East, as well as more dramatic changes due to the cultural transfer of its folklore into French and even other European languages. What Reiniger brings to enchanting handcrafted life is not a particular place at a particular time, but an elegant, mysterious and literally arabesque-like realm that never really existed. In other words, prince achmed This movie takes place in a place that can only be called the Orient. Now that the movie is in the public domain, we can visit it whenever we want. And if such a visit can inspire a new generation of Lotte Reinigers in this market-researched world of big-budget animation, then so much the better.

Related content:

First animated feature film: Adventures of Prince Achmed Written by Lotte Reiniger (1926)

Lotte Reiniger’s groundbreaking silhouette animation: Cinderella, hansel and gretel,others

Animation pioneer Lotte Reiniger arranges Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” into an all-silhouette short film (1935)

The Animation That Changed Cinema: The Groundbreaking Legacy of prince achmed, Akira, iron giant & more

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The Beautiful Anarchy of the Earliest Animated Cartoons: Explore an Archive of Over 200 Early Animations

Based in Seoul, Colin Mbemust write and broadcastIt’s about cities, languages ​​and cultures. he is the author of the newsletter books about cities books as well Home page (I won’t summarize Korea) and korean newtro. Follow him on the social network formerly known as Twitter. @Colinbemust.