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Pioneers of Japaneses Animation: From Tekobo to Momotaro

The Little Match Girl

Kazugorou ARAI / Kazugorou ARAI

Japan1947 10min 16mm B&W

Synopsis

A silhouette animation of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale. It is Christmas Eve, but nobody cares to buy her matches, and the little girl, exhausted from cold and hunger, collapses on the street. The little match girl strikes the matches she has to sell, and for a brief moment she can feel warmth. In the sparks of the matches, the spirits of death are dancing. As the girl recalls her dear old grandmother, Grandma appears in a fantasy and softly embraces her.

Diretor

Kazugorou ARAI

While working as a dentist, Kazugorou Arai made a 9.5mm silhouette animation with his friend Nakaya Tobishi as a pastime. The Golden Hook,a magnificent silhouette animation made in 1939, marked his start as a professional animation producer. Among his main works are The Fantasy of Madame Butterfly(1940), Jack and the Bean Stalk(1941), Princess Kaguya(1942), and Thumbelina(1947).

Kazugorou ARAI

While working as a dentist, Kazugorou Arai made a 9.5mm silhouette animation with his friend Nakaya Tobishi as a pastime. The Golden Hook,a magnificent silhouette animation made in 1939, marked his start as a professional animation producer. Among his main works are The Fantasy of Madame Butterfly(1940), Jack and the Bean Stalk(1941), Princess Kaguya(1942), and Thumbelina(1947).