The Little Matchgirl, an animated film that's up for an Oscar, is an exquisitely-rendered tearjerker.
Based on the classic Hans Christian Andersen story of one desperately poor, cold, alone little girl, it was directed for Disney by Roger Allers, director of The Lion King. Unlike Lion, which was all about warm, earth tones, here Allers uses a restricted palette of forlorn blues and grays -- except when we see what the match girl is imagining. The piece is underscored with perfectly selected, doleful music by Borodin. It's only six-minutes long, but it will just slay you.
The short is included on The Little Mermaid DVD reissue; you can also watch it here.
written on Tuesday Feb 20, 2007
ragamuffin,
woe,
Oscar.
