The Little Match Girl

Charles Mintz saw gold in them there cartoons and thus jettisoned Walt Disney and the contractual relationship they had to start in-house production and make (he thought) even more for himself. But Mintz had a gourmand's palate without the imagination or financial willingness to feed such tastes. Columbia was rarely to come even within shouting distance of Disney, MGM and Warner Brothers where animated shorts were concerned. They just didn't much take the time or effort to go beyond nice, enjoyable fluff to fulfill contractual obligations.

That makes The Little Match Girl all the more incredible, because it's an emerald awash in a sea of shiny marbles. Much of the credit can go to Al Davis and Sid Marcus, both exceptionally talented. This is probably the crown jewel in Davis's career, a compliment, to say the least. They manage to make this endearing and heart-wrenching without it becoming maudlin or cloying. It's a remarkable piece of work and, had it been more properly promoted at the time, might have won the Academy Award (and probably should have). I don't usually go into detail about the contents of a film, preferring to let the film speak for itself, but one point I need to make: the decision to make the child smaller than normal in perspective to the world around he was brilliant-to a child, the "grownup" world is huge and more than a bit scary. It works wonderfully. That this isn't in print and available is a shame, as it should be. Well worth hunting up. Most highly recommended.

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.

She has, for years, been the epitome of the downtrodden, the hopeless. The little girl who only has a box of matches to sell, desperately burns them for a little warmth. This is Hans Christian Andersen's tale which chokes you up. It is colorful and exhausting, to say the least. The problem is that at no point does she have a chance--all hope has been pulled from her.

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.

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