La petite fille aux allumettes

It is special for many reasons. first - for the delicate beauty of animation. second - for Russia as location of the story by Hans Christian Andersen. not the last- for the rehabilitation of classic Disney mark. because it is an old fashion film. not only as form but in its spirit. a film about the well known girl with matches. great not only for its impecable, moving art. but for the status for the inner child to be, too, in his so familiar universe.

This short cartoon is about a poor homeless girl in a snowy winter. She tries to sell match sticks but faces constant rejection. She can only find comfort in her imagination.

I have great sympathy for the little girl. She enthusiastically approaches strangers, hoping someone would buy a matchstick, but people coldly reject her. Her disappointment and sadness cannot be missed. She then curls up in a corner, cold and hungry. She faces a dilemma about what to do with the match sticks, and struggles painfully. It is saddening to see her in such a state.

This short animation has no dialog, but conveys endless emotions. It has got that special touch, that resonates into viewers' hearts. It has great potential to be transformed into a full length film. Watch this if you have the chance.

I had heard a lot about this short film called "The Little Matchgirl" in the last few months, like how it was originally created for an aborted "Fantasia" sequel, how it was based on a short story by "Little Mermaid" author Hans Christian Andersen, yadda yadda. But, when I finally got the 2-disc "The Little Mermaid" Platinum Edition DVD on which "Little Matchgirl" is found, I was totally blown away. Roger Allers did a (pardon my language in a comment on a Disney film)damn fine job on this short. I do believe that if nominated for an Oscar, "The Little Matchgirl" will blow all those other shorts out of the water.

Just a friendly word of advice, folks: bring a lot of Kleenexs...

Ever since I was a little girl, I have been deeply moved by Hans Christian Andersen's story. It is so beautiful, so touching and so poignant, yet I don't consider it depressing in any way. From the very start, I had immediate sympathy for the Little MatchGirl of the title, and I was hoping this Disney short would do this amazing story justice. And it does.

The Little MatchGirl in my opinion is a small Disney masterpiece, it is very short, but it is beautiful in every meaning of the word. I am a huge fan of Disney, not only of their films(Beauty and the Beast especially) but also of their Silly Symphonies like The Old Mill and Flowers and Trees. The Little MatchGirl is yet another favourite of mine from them.

The short has no dialogue or voices, all through visuals and music, and this worked. The animation is simply stunning, the backgrounds, character features, the architecture of those beautiful Russian buildings and colours are consistently amazing. And I have to say the music is outstanding, this was a piece of music- Borrodin's String Quartet no. 2, Nocturno- that I really underestimated, it is a truly beautiful work that is put to perfect use and beautifully performed. The story is still poignant and touching in tone, the title character I related to immediately and the pacing is just right.

Overall, a superb short, like I said with The Old Mill, I forgot I was watching a cartoon and thought I was watching a work of art. 10/10 Bethany Cox

I never read the original story, so I had no idea what this was about. Needless to say by the end of the short (which is about 6 minutes) I was felt a heaviness in my chest an my eyes were teary. Mind you, I'm an action/horror movie guy - I don't emote much. :-) THIS is the full potential of what animation can do - even without any words spoken. The expressions and fluidness of the characters simply would not emote the same way if it was CGI and as this was the final hand drawn 2d work by Disney's studio it looks to be their final true masterpiece.

Its BURIED in the Platinum edition of the Little Mermaid DVD, be sure to find it on the 2nd disk Why a person would tell this story to their child is really beyond me.