If you are not familiar with silhouette animation, you need to see what I mean. Warning, the transitional text is in German, but you won’t need it:
Exercise: Try cutting out the shape of a house or an animal while holding the scissors still (spoiler alert: it’s Effing Impossible).
Because her technique was so simple, she was able to take her work on the road for most of the 1930’s, making a slew of short films while bouncing around Europe and staying in places as long as the travel visas allowed, avoiding her native Germany and the Nazi party. Film was a new medium back then, and animated features were unheard of. I suspect making a living at an art form like this must have been precarious for Lotte. It makes me that much more appreciative of her efforts.
**in a similar vein
- Harry Potter fans will recognize the liberal inspiration on loan from Lotte in The Tale of Three Brothers, from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
- My other favorite paper artist, Michael Ocelot, made Les Trois Inventeurs, a short film made entirely from paper doilies. You need to see it. I warn you, there are no subtitles and it’s sad. Not like Old Yeller sad; French sad. Heartbreakingly beautiful.
You are most welcome!
Thank you for sharing a lovely episode from your childhood. I love the coffee cake and crackers stashed in your grandmother’s pocket. And thank you for the education. I was unaware that such a medium as silhouette animation existed. It makes me wonder if Lotte Reiniger might have been an influence on the paper artists Allen and Patty Eckman who were featured a couple of years ago in the Daily Mail.
This is the link if anyone would like to check out their work.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1290203/The-spectacular-47-000-sculptures–paper.html
Incredible! Thank you so much for sharing this post & the films.
You are informational as well as inspirational. A big thank you for new cool stuff to investigate.
That was so beautiful. I love silhouette animation & am glad to learn more about it. I think Prince Ahmed has taken the place of the Harry Potter as my fave in that style.
My children always laughed at me when I cut things out because the scissors never moved but the paper flew all over the place. lol Is it too late at age 57 to start a new career?
It occurs to me that end of the Lemony Snicket movie, a few years back, had images such as these in the ending credits. Hmmmmm. Off to scope things out.