The Little Matchgirl

Andersen's story compressed into six and a half minutes: a girl trying to sell matches in the snow, and when nobody stops, striking them one by one for warmth and seeing something different in each flame. There is not a line of dialogue. Everything is carried by image and by music, in this case the Nocturne from Borodin's second string quartet. Roger Allers directed and Don Hahn produced. The short has an unusual history. It was made as one piece of a planned sequel to Fantasia, a feature that never came together, so the short went out on its own. It was also the last production to use the CAPS system Disney had developed for colouring, which places it right at the close of an era of hand drawn work. It was nominated for the Oscar for best animated short. A warning is in order: this is not children's entertainment. It ends the way Andersen's story ends and nothing is softened. Who it is for: admirers of hand drawn animation and storytelling through music. Who it is not for: anyone waiting for a happy ending.