The Little Match Girl

Unfortunately it is the exception rather than the rule when a screenwriter leaves the original story as it is. In this case, the steps of the original were followed, but the details were changed. It is almost as if the film script of this Columbia "color rhapsody" toon was written with only one reading of the source-story, and it never was consulted again. The mood does remain the same, however, and the world may seem even a bit harsher in this particular adaption. The New Year's Eve crowd is quite antagonistic to the poor little match seller. In Andersen's 3 page story it is the weather and her father which are the main adversaries, here it is the uncaring revelers which dominate.

Since the main essence of the story is left intact, and the treatment is grandiose, what remains is an excellent cartoon on any level. The combination of plot line and Brahm's Waltz in A-flat is a match made in heaven! It is obvious much time and care went into the animation, and the choice of colors were superb. Since images were used to convey meaning rather than dialogue(only the words, "Happy New Year" are heard)it seems that the important character of the grandmother had to be dropped in place of an angel. If you haven't read the short story in a long while, you may be willing to overlook this.

Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry. Still love animation whether it's film, television or cartoons, regardless of the studio or director (which there has never been a bias towards or against), and still watch it on a regular basis.

Arthur Davis and Sid Marcus both did solid and more work in their careers (as well as some not so good stuff later on). Have a lot of love for Hans Christian Andersen's stories, many of them having been adapted many times and for good reason, and as a story 'The Little Match Girl' always touches me. So 1937's 'The Little Match Girl' had me interested from the get go. Seeing it, it has shocked me at how long it took for me to see it.

It is some of the best work of both Davis and Marcus and as good as the beautiful Disney short, when it comes to cartoons seen recently it's easily one of the best too.

'The Little Match Girl' is gorgeously animated. It's fluidly and carefully drawn, rich in meticulous background detail and lavish and atmospheric in colour. The hauntingly beautiful music compliments them and the emotional impact brilliantly and even enhances the mood.

What is special about 'The Little Match Girl' is the emotional power of the storytelling. It is cute but not overly-so, truly endearing with charming characters without trying too hard and genuinely heart-tugging without being over-sentimental (so easy to do when the story is already as sad as it is).

Characters are charming and easily to relate to. 'The Little Match Girl' is a masterclass of how to stir such an emotional wallop so beautifully without any dialogue or saying a word.

Altogether, big in emotion and a cartoon deserving of more appreciation and exposure. 10/10 Bethany Cox

There's something distinctly Dickensian about this short animation. It's all about a young girl who makes her living selling matches on the wintry streets of New York on New Year's Eve. Ignored by the revellers, she retreats to take what shelter she can beside a grand house where she lights some of her matches to try and keep warm. Each match offers a little light and heat and soon she drifts off into dreams of a roaring fire, a comfortable bed and some fun. This is quite a beautifully drawn adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson's 19th century tale of poverty and neglect, but I didn't love the angelic scenes that seemed to me to suggest that there was some sort of heavenly purpose to her suffering, nor of the actual conclusion which rather robs the original story of the family sentiment that contributed so much to the poignancy of this tale. Still, it is a delicate feature well worth watching.

Hans Christian Andersen's much-adapted short poem becomes an animated short film here, for perhaps the first time. Disney also made a computer-animated version in 2006. This "Little Match Girl" was part of Columbia's Color Rhapsody series, which were made in response to Disney's Silly Symphonies. The exaggerated cartoon qualities work to make what was already a depressing fairy tale into an even more maudlin affair. The little girl is unnaturally little, as she's trampled by New Year's Eve revelers, for whom she only rises to about the height of their shins. Plus, much of what size she is consists of huge eyeballs. As with Jean Renoir's live-action silent version of the 1920s, the matchstick hallucinations, which otherwise work well as cinematic metaphor, receive relative short shrift in favor of an extended dream sequence. The fanciful imagery here isn't too bad, and there's a bit of simulated, swinging camera movement in part, which goes well with the music, but it's nothing exceptional. I still prefer the earliest filmed version, James Williamson's 1902 one, along with Renoir's film, but this was a popular tale--earning this one an Oscar nomination.

This is my first "Color Rhapsody" cartoon from Columbia Pictures that I have seen. I thought it was a beautiful re-telling of the sad Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. But of course, the setting was changed to a modern American city, and Grandmother's angel was also omitted from the cartoon.

Here is something I just learned: this cartoon was nominated for Best Animated Short Subject. But sadly, it was lost to Walt Disney in "The Old Mill." So anyway, that is all I have to say about this beautifully animated cartoon as a fan of Hans Christian Andersen's tales. And this cartoon is also a favorite from the "Color Rhapsody" series.