The Selfish Giant

A well known story. seductive animation. and the perfect clothes for a noble message. short, ideal adaptation for "The Selfish Giant". in few scenes almost better than the original tale. for the sweetness of drawing, for the delicacy of details, for the atmosphere, for gentle manner to translate in lovely - convincing images a seductive universe. a film who you fell. scene by scene. more than a good animation. as a lovely memory. defining yourself.

Something made me recall this story about the man (was it a giant, I wondered) who built a wall around his castle, and winter came and didn't leave. I recalled Snow White, a woman with a flowing white cape who encircled his home and her cape became snow on the ground. There was Jack Frost as well, then the North Wind appeared, like a flying viking. And finally, there was Hail, a man in a tin suit of armor who danced on the roof and shingles. Spring, likewise, was in human form, as a young girl who tries to enter the garden but cannot because of the wall. It must be 30 years since I last saw this story, truly one of a kind, not in the Rankin-Bass or Hanna Barbera mold. I just took a crack all of a sudden that it was a Giant and typed in the Selfish Giant, and there it came. Wow. Definitely a winner. Still remember him tearing down that wall.

If you ever saw it as a kid on Canadian television around Christmas time, you'll remember this movie fondly (without a doubt, as much a favourite of mine as The Grinch, Rudolph and Frosty). A very creative and artistic interpretation (hey, Canadians routinely win Academy Awards(TM) for Best Animated Short for a reason) of a very sweet story. As a kid, I never understood or even noticed the religious symbolism but when I recently found, printed and read the story to my own young children I realized the ending was pretty blatant, and thus explained why I hadn't seen this holiday favourite on T.V. in many, many years. I suppose the Christian networks play this on regular rotation during Christmas time (if not -- they should) and I would propose that someone do a less literal version so that it would be appropriate for secular television again. A real tear-jerker, BTW.

This little animated movie is very true to the story by Oscar Wilde and does a nice job of capturing the spirit and sensitivity of his writing. The music is fabulous, a sort of choral modern Celtic, that adds a lot to the overall experience. The animation is equally wonderful. It is a shame that it is not more well known. The religious slant of the story should not put viewers off in that it is first and foremost an extremely positive story simply stating that selfishness is wrong, something I think that anyone could understand and appreciate. That Wilde accomplishes this ethical depiction through the Christian example is particularly touching if one is aware of Wilde's own life experiences. Whether one is knows of Wilde's writings and biography or not this little movie is an immensely worthwhile experience. It left a tear and smile when I was a kid and it still does. If you enjoy bittersweet animated shorts like "The Snowman" then this is a movie for you (and the kids)

As a child every year in school we were shown The Selfish Giant and The Happy Prince at Christmas time. I loved both of them and looked forward to the annual viewing. Well as time goes by you stop watching such wonderful films in school but these two movies stuck with me in my memory. Unfortunately I could never remember the titles of the films in order to look for them. I asked a lot of people if they knew the films but no one recognized them from my descriptions. What a shame that more people haven't seen these two hidden gems. Other people have already described the stories on their respective pages so let me just say to parents everywhere, if you can find these movies, buy them and watch them with your children these films have the ability to create a special bond between everyone. The films do have religious undertones but I am not a religious person and enjoy them immensely, even more so for their messages. Do yourself a favour and hunt them down.