tirsdag 30. juni 2026

"The Little Matchgirl" - The Hand Drawn Animated Short Based on Hans Christian Andersen`s Fairy Tale

Hi folks! Welcome to my My Own Personal Nerdy Disney and Animation Scrutinizing Analysis blog. A blog where I'm analyzing several Disney films, Disney or Animation in general! These entries are just meant to be my analyses. Not reviews or statements. Just fun analyses! Though I'll make some personal remarks now and then, the content of these entries are meant to be depicted objectively. They're made for entertainment purpose only and the pictures/clips are copyright Disney or other companies. 

Make sure to leave a comment if you like this site! And if there's something you think could be improved, please let me know. But in a constructive way, please. And just a note; I'm not a Native English writer, so my incorrect grammar may be notable.

And finally; If you haven't seen the films, beware of spoilers! And the funny lines aren't meant to be nothing than funny. So I hope you won't find them offensive. If so, I apologize

 
For the first time ever I`m going to write about a short. But hey, there`s a first for everything, right?
 
 
 
 
Here I go again on my own... Right, Whitesnake? :)

 
 
 
 
I`m a albino statue :)
The history of shorts dates at the dawn of cinema. All movies at the time were very short, sometimes just a minute or two. It wasn`t until the 1910s when films started to get longer than ten minutes. When the television came, commercial live action shorts almost vanished in the mid-1950`s. But Cartoon Short Film had a longer shelf life, partly due to cheaper limited animation techniques, and TV animation took off. Allowing them to have a theatrical and a syndication run. And while shorts are aired as filler, Live-Action Shorts was a way for many famous filmmakers of today to launch their careers. 
I`m the female version of 
Jacob Marley from A 
Christmas Carol :)
And regarding the position of shorts today, they now enjoy wider success, due to digital platforms and social media, But regarding the quality of animated shorts, while some of them are cheaply made, there were some made in higher quality. Some of those shorts made it theatrically, but others were meant for the theaters, but never made it. And sure, Disney has never been a stranger to shorts at all, as Walt started with them. But even they have made shorts of higher quality. Where some were made for the theaters and other didn`t made it. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
The History of Fantasia 2006
 
I`ve paid the broomstick to
make me look that I`m nice
to it :)
But regarding the genesis of this feature from this entry: When Walt made the grand and ambitious Fantasia in 1940 (who unfortunately turned out to be ahead of it`s time), he was planning to update it with new segments. However, unfortunately Fantasia turned out to be a huge flop, so Disney never got to fulfill his plans with the upcoming segments. It took sixty years before Disney (without Walt) dared to make it`s official follow up, Fantasia 2000 (which was greenlit on how Fantasia turned out to be huge hit on VHS). 
We`re coming from the Yellow
Submarine :)
Which unfortunately turned out to be a bigger flop. Disney were considering to make a third movie, Fantasia 2006. But unfortunately it was scrapped. But still there were some shorts made to it. While shorts like Lorenzo (from Pocahontas` Mike Gabriel), Destino and One by One (named after the song from The Lion King Broadway show of the same name) were made separately in the beginning of this Milleinum (in 2003, 2004) and found their ways into DVD releases and compilations, the very last short that was made to Fantasia 2006 was The Little Matchgirl. Which was made in the same mold as it`s predecessors. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
General Information About The Little Matchgirl
 
Don`t be fooled, it was
heavy to carry this box :)
Set to Nocturne from
Alexander Borodin's String Quartet #2, The Little
Matchgirl was boarded and directed by Roger Allers (The Lion King) and produced by Roy Disney, Baker Bloodworth (Dinosaur), and Don Hahn. Dave Bossert was the Artistic Coordinator and Visuals EFX Supervisor. Ed Gombert
(Aladdin) and Ralph Zondag (Dinosaur) developed the story. Hans Bacher (Mulan), Randy Haycock (Hercules) and Mike Surrey (The Lion King) were the visual developers. Joe Haidar (Hercules) and Doug Frankel (The Emperor`s New Groove) were the animators. Mauro Maressa (Hercules) was the Visual Effect Animator. Thomas Baker (The Lion King) was the scene planner. Marshall Toomey (Beauty and the Beast) did the Clean Up. Matchgirl was also the final use of the CAPS system. 
Since I`m (Ariel) is 
petite, they made me
look taller for this
cover :)
While it made its debut at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in France in June 5 2006, it was officially released to the public with the Platinum Edition release of The Little Mermaid (which could be perceived as a synergy, for being Hans Christian Andersen property).  It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short, but lost to The Danish Poet. It won Best Film For Children at the 17th Festival of Animated Films 2006 Animafest World Festival of Animated Films Zagreb. As for the overall reception of Matchgirl, it has been well received by the public. As it was praised it for it`s visuals and poignancy. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Trademarks of The Little Matchgirl
 
What makes The Little Matchgirl notable is it`s medium. For being one of the last gasps of high quality Hand Drawn animation in a World where it isn`t as prominent anymore (released right when Disney was officially resurging it with both
Enchanted and The Princess and the Frog). But since Disney has always adapted material from fairy tales and certainly from Hans Christian Andersen, it`s essentially another addition from that author. But what also makes Matchgirl notable is that it`s one of the few Disney properties set in Russia (with the exception of Peter and the Wolf. 
And yes, let`s skip the Anastasia comparisons, since it`s a Don Bluth property, shall we? Despite how Disney owns 20th Century Fox now). And it`s among the Disney properties to have a little girl (who looks non-White) as the lead. But what`s essentially unique about Matchgirl is it`s ending: How it`s brave enough to have a unhappy ending, despite how it`s not the first time Disney has adapted a story with an unhappy ending (*cough, Pocahontas, cough*). Despite how that ending, simultaneously, still has it`s own happy resonance. As it serves as being both tragic, but also concluding with it`s purpose at the same time (and frankly, it`s more uplifting than the ending of Pocahontas). 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
  

Behind the Scenes Information


Production on The Little Matchgirl got started in 2002. The story was chosen to make sense for a new Fantasia segment. It is something that could be done in pantomime and to music. When Don Hahn pitched it Allers (who was asked to come back to Disney), he was thrilled because it was his favorite story (and read it to his kids). The production took over four years. Allers decided early on that it should be hand drawn, spending months experimenting with paints and pigments. Both Hans Bacher and Randy Haycock was behind the character designs. But as the ink would trail off and fade out and the texture of the paper that came up underneath (by Bacher`s choice) inspired the idea of do it in water color. Not wanting the texture to be obvious, but still wanting the audience to notice that it was art. A challenge was to integrate the characters to the hand painted watercolor backgrounds. Which was done in CAPS by processing the line drawings to give it the appearance that pigment pooled towards the edges of the paint shapes (as it does in watercolor paintings). To give it texture and to have the color bleeding out towards the end of the outline of the character. They also created mottled grain in the painted character. For Allers it was lovely to board again. But he decided that the palette should be colorless due to the story and the visions to have a better palette during the scenes with the Grandmother.  

Regarding Disney`s ongoing staple of Disneyfication, the short leaves the girl's cruel father and the death of her grandmother (despite how it`s implied). But it was scrapped due to how it`s a short and it would`ve been too much to have the first subplot. And having her alone made her longing for her grandmother stronger. And the setting was moved to Russia. As the story was non-specific of it`s location, Saint Petersburg allowed for beautiful scenery, pre-elegance (which spoke to Allers). and was associated with snow and harsh winters. 
It was going to use Debussy's Claire de Lune, but Nocturne was chosen for evoking images of Russia. And how it had so much pathos in it. It was a challenge to make the shifts from back to reality. When Glen Keane saw the scene where the grandmother was holding the girl, he knew she was dead. Despite how Allers thought that the scene was rather about the girl being fully embraced by her grandmother. The executives at Disney didn`t want a sad ending, so happier endings were tried. But rejected. Roger wanted to be true to the original story. The ending is almost prayerful, without being religious. It`s a way to show hope and that all children have a right to exist.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Epilogue
 
At least I see the lights. Right
Rapunzel? :)
At the end, The Little Matchgirl is a worthy addition to Disney`s huge and ongoing legacy. And a respectful addition to Disney`s library of Hand Drawn animation. As for my own personal opinion about this short, the truth is that I like it. Despite how it`s not the very best Disney has ever done. The music that was chosen for it could`ve been better (no offense). But I still like it for the character designs, animation and overall mood and tone, as it`s skillfully done. 
Yes, even a child can sell an
adult candy :)
And it`s a well animated and does makes me long back for Hand Drawn
animation. And it`s a wistful reminder of what high quality Hand Drawn Animation once used to be and how it will probably never be the same again. And yes, it`s hard to believe that it`s now turned two decades old! But at the end, since this entry was meant to synergize it`s 20th Anniversary, there`s nothing else to wish The Little Matchgirl Happy 20th Anniversary and may you continue to have many more.
 
 
 
 
 
 
These sticks are actually candy :) No joke :)

 
 
 
References: 
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torsdag 28. mai 2026

The Grimm Brothers - The Famous Brotherly Authors Who`ve Inspired Many Disney Stories To Life

Hi folks! Welcome to my My Own Personal Nerdy Disney and Animation Scrutinizing Analysis blog. A blog where I'm analyzing several Disney films, Disney or Animation in general! These entries are just meant to be my analyses. Not reviews or statements. Just fun analyses! Though I'll make some personal remarks now and then, the content of these entries are meant to be depicted objectively. They're made for entertainment purpose only and the pictures/clips are copyright Disney or other companies. 

Make sure to leave a comment if you like this site! And if there's something you think could be improved, please let me know. But in a constructive way, please. And just a note; I'm not a Native English writer, so my incorrect grammar may be notable.

And finally; If you haven't seen the films, beware of spoilers! And the funny lines aren't meant to be nothing than funny. So I hope you won't find them offensive. If so, I apologize

 
 
 
 






I know that I`m standing out
with my brown gown, but they
told me so :)
Despite how Disney has always been synonymous with fairy tales, it`s very remarkable how the studio have made little of them as Full-Length Features. Sure, some of them have made it as shorts. But most of the fairy tales Disney has adapted have included one trademark that the studio has been synonymous with: The Princesses. In fact, the Princess element has stood out so much that they`ve outshined how their movies have been fairy tales and now become Princess movies. But that`s another story for now. But regardless of how Disney and fairy tales have been synonymous with each other, these tales had a large life of their own before Disney existed or tapped into them. 
We`re the attractive mimes :)

Sure, the Disneyfication aspect of these tales has always been relevant, due to Disney`s position (which also fuels the issue of purism). But regarding some of thehe authors who`s been behind these tale, two of them were the Grimm Brothers. The German brothers (Jacob, 1785–1863 and Wilhelm, 1786–1859) were academics, linguists, cultural researchers. And authors whose work in folklore, linguistics, and scholarship shaped the development of modern folkloristics and the study of the German language. They were also among the best-known tellers of European folktales. And most of their adaptations have lived on for generations. Which is the reason for why I`m making this entry.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
General Information About the Grimm Brothers
 
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were born in Hanau, Germany. To Philipp Wilhelm Grimm, a jurist, and Dorothea Grimm, daughter of a Kassel councilman.
They were the second- and third-eldest siblings in a family of nine kids (three who died as kids). As Jacob was the eldest son. In 1791, the family moved to the countryside town of Steinau during Philipp's employment  as a district magistrate. The brothers were happy in Steinau. And were educated by private tutors, having a Lutheran upbringing, making them religious. But they went to schoolslater. In 1796, Philipp died of pneumonia, causing poverty for the family. Both brothers had to take adult tasks for the next two years. But their grandfather urged them to be industrious. They left Steinau in 1798 to attend the
Friedrichsgymnasium in Kassel. They were forced to rely on each other and become very close. They were different, as Jacob was introspective and Wilhelm was outgoing (although he suffered from ill health). But shared a strong work ethic and excelled in their studie. And they graduated at the head of his class, Jacob in 1803 and Wilhelm in 1804 (as he missed a year of school due to scarlet fever). Afterwards the brothers attended Marburg University. As they were treated badly due to lower social status. They were excluded from tuition aid. They had to request a dispensation to study law. Their poverty kept them from fellow activities or university social life. But their outsider status made them pursue their studies with extra vigor. 
Inspired by their law professor, Friedrich von Savigny, who made them interested in history and philology, the brothers studied medieval German literature. They shared Savigny's desire to see the 200 German principalities as a single state. The Grimms were introduced to Johann Gottfried Herder`s ideas of how German literature should be simpler. Jacob was still financially responsible for his family in 1805, so he became Savigny's research assistant in Paris. But on his return to Marburg he was forced to abandon his studies to support the family and joined the Hessian War Commission. In 1808, Jacob became a court librarian to the King of Westphalia and became a librarian in Kassel. After their mother's death that year, he became responsible for his younger siblings. He paid for his brother Ludwig's art school studies. And for Wilhelm' visit to Halle heart and respiratory problems, after Wilhelm joined Jacob as librarian in Kassel. 
On 15 May 1825, Wilhelm married Henriette Dorothea "Dortchen" Wild, a pharmacist's daughter and childhood friend. Who had given the brothers many tales (as Hansel and Gretel and Sleeping Beauty). Jacob never married, but lived in the house with Wilhelm and Dortchen. In 1830, both brothers were overlooked when the job of chief librarian was available. They moved to Göttingen in the Kingdom of Hanover, where they worked at the University of Göttingen as professor (and Jacob also as a head librarian). In 1840, Savigny and Bettina von Arnim urged Frederick William IV of Prussia to give the brothers posts at the University of Berlin. And the Academy of Sciences gave them stipends to continue their research. Jacob researched German legal traditions and language. Published in the late 1840s/early 1850s. Wilhelm researched medieval literature, while editing new versions of Hausmärchen. After the revolutions of 1848 Germany, the brothers were chosen to the civil parliament. Jacob became a member of the National Assembly at Mainz. But their political activities were short-lived, as their hope for a unified Germany went away. Wilhelm died of an infection in Berlin, 16 December 1859. Jacob died on 20 September 1863.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
The Adaptations of Grimm Brothers, Other Works and Criticism
 
As for the legacy of Grimms' stories, they contains legends, novellas and folk stories. And most of them weren`t kid tales. They collected and published their tales, Kinder- und Hausmärchen (with 86 folk tales), as a reflection of German cultural identity. In the first book, they also included Charles Perrault's tales. It`s that version of Grimms' collection which is a source to how scholars studying them. The brothers wanted to collect stories to make scholarly treatise of them and keep them as they had been handed from generation to generation (threatened by industrialization). Their book was based on stories gathered from educated acquaintances. They expanded and revised the book during their lives. They also published studies on Germanic and Scandinavian legends, medieval texts and history of language. But due to poverty in 1838, they began with a definitive German dictionary in 1838, which were uncompleted at their deaths. The first volume was not published until 1854.
During their times as librarians, the brothers published books between 1812 and 1830. Hausmärchen was followed by two books German legends and one of early literary history. They also published works about Danish, Irish folk tales and Norse mythology. Wiklhelm made the tales stylistically similar, added dialogue, removed pieces, improved the plots, and included psychological motifs. They also added religious and spiritual motifs and also from old Germanic faiths, Norse, Roman and Greek mythology, and biblical stories. Later on, Wilhelm excluded sexual elements and added morals. After 1819, he began writing original tales for children (who weren`t thought as a audience) and adding morals. However, Grimms' work have been critcized for anti-feminism. The tales were also criticized for being pure German. But scholars as Heinz Rölleke say that the stories are an accurate depiction of German culture, showing rustic simplicity and sexual modesty. Alistair Hauke, a Jungian, said that the deaths of the brothers' father and grandfather were why their stories idealize fathers. The Twelve Brothers mirrors their situations of brothers overcoming opposition. Where they follow a simple plot where a character lose a home, work industriously at a specific task, and in the end find a new home. 
Jacob's and Wilhelm's stories has been translated to more than 160 languages; 120 different editions of the text are available for sale in the US alone. And while some scholars criticized the Grimms' way in rewriting the legends, they set an example for legend collections that was followed by others. Between 1816 and 1818 the brothers published Deutsche Sagen (German Legends) of 585 German legends. Unfortunately it sold poorly. And while Hausmärchen was not a bestseller at first, it`s popularity increased with each new edition. But they received lukewarm reviews on how the stories were unappealing, which the brothers responded to rewrite for children. By the 1870s the tales had increased in popularity to how they were added to teaching in Prussia. And it was the most popular book in Germany, second to the Bible. And their stories have continued to be popular around the world. But regarding the stories that has been adapted from Grimm, are The Frog Prince, The Brave Little Tailor, Cinderella,
Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, Briar Rose, The Golden Goose and The Three Little Birds among others.

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
The Disney Versions of the Grimm Stories
 
We`re the Santa`s of spring :)
Regarding the Grimm stories adapted from Disney, the studio has actually adapted many of them. The first ones were Little Red Riding Hood and The Four Musicians of Bremen. Both of them in 1922 as Laugh-O-Gram shorts. Cinderella was also made as a Laugh-O-Gram short in 1922. Ten years later came Babes in the Woods, a Silly Symphony short inspired by Hansel and Gretel. In 1934, The Big Bad Wolf was released as Symphony short. Part sequel to Three Little Pigs and part retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. But the first Full-Length Feature from a Grimm story was the one who started it all (pardon my intended pun), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937. 
Pocahontas gave me a spell to
have my hair fly in the wind :)
The following year had The Brave Little Tailor adapted as a Mickey Mouse short. In 1950, the Full-Length version of Cinderella was released. Nine years later, Sleeping Beauty came to screen. And despite how both of them are based on Charles Perrault`s versions, they take element from Grimm as well (in Cinderella how her father marries another woman with two older daughters, and how she`s going to be home by midnight. In Beauty as how she`s given the gift of beauty, the name Briar Rose, the curse and how it`s reduced to how her having her sleeping, the thorn hedge and the Prince awakening the Princess with a kiss). 
Since my hair is so long, I 
have to look after it so that it
doesn`t get dirty :)

In 1997, Redux Riding Hood (another version of Little Red Riding
Hood) was made by Walt Disney Television Animation as part of a planned show named Totally Twisted Fairy Tales. In 2009, The Princess and the Frog was very loosely adapted on both The Frog Prince 
and E. D. Baker's The Frog Princess. And the following Tangled 
was based on Rapunzel (and yes, let`s ignore the ridiculous name swap debate for now, shall we?). And while it may be superfluous to bring the live action remakes of Walt`s Princess triology, the Live Action Remake of Cinderella takes cues from Grimms` version (as how her mother tells her to remain good and kind. And how Cinderella begs his father for the first twig to knock his hat off).
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Epilogue
 
I made the sword
myself :)
At the end, the Grimm Brothers remains one of the World`s most famous and well-known authors. And it`s a truly astonishing that they lived in a time before our times. And their work is going to continue to live on forever for many generations. As for my own personal experiences with Grimm`s stories, I knew about them and read them in my chilhood. I remember having some books and comics by them. But unfortunately I don`t have any specific memories of how and when I heard or read about them. However, as for Disney`s adaptations, I remember not seeing the Silly Symphony versions of the stories in my childhood. But I saw The Brave Little Tailor and thought it was okay. But I saw Snow White theatrically in my childhood and frankly finding the movie just okay (as I thought it was too grim and bittersweet). 
I`m doing the
bending 
dance :)
Both Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty I saw on VHS by renting them. And frankly, I liked Cinderella, but thought that Sleeping Beauty was too tedious, slow and pedestrian. However, I learned to like Snow White when I became an older child, as well as Sleeping Beauty. And now I prefer them to Cinderella, (sorry to say). With both The Princess and the Frog and Tangled, I liked them, despite how I never loved them. They had great elements in them, but were just good movies, just not great ones. But at the end, it`s amazing what a legacy the Grimm`s has given us. Since this entry was meant to synergize the anniversary of Wilhelm`s birth, there`s nothing left to and thank them for their everlasing influence and legacy that their left to our World. 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
References:
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