Fresh and Exciting

Boring

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

For me, Disney's gold generation finished a long time ago, by the end of the early 90's. Disney was no longer Disney after that.This is a precious little short, one that will surely become a classic. Actually, you can say that it was already born a classic. If this wasn't included as bonus material on 'The Little Mermaid' DVD, I probably wouldn't know this until now or even hear about it.This short has no dialog, but pretty classical music instead. Images and classical music are so expressive that they speak for themselves, not unlike 'Fantasia'. As such, this short doesn't even need dialogs. Besides, its story couldn't be more simple to understand and this lack of dialogs makes it a heavier experience when it comes to emotions.This mini-motion picture is based on a tale by Hans Christian Anderson, being undeniably a sad one. I know that Hans Christian Anderson was danish, but I don't know if his original tale took place in his native country. I only know that in this short the plot takes place in Russia.Besides the moving and heartwarming story, this short has got artwork of high quality. The artwork is a successful combination between old and new. On the one hand, its artwork clearly evokes the classic/traditional Disney artwork from the good old times. On the other hand, it looks simultaneously modern and current.I don't know the title of this in my country. Perhaps it has no Portuguese title at all?

'The Little Match Girl' is a Disney animated short of enormous quality. In fact, it's a surprise to know that this is a relatively recent short, such are its high standards. It means that Disney wasn't as lifeless as it seemed, after all.This short has potential to become a classic, for it lacks no ingredients to achieve that. It has a simple but emotional story, beautiful artwork and backgrounds, great animation, magic and a classic atmosphere. The music is beautiful too, capturing the essence of this mini-film: "Nocturne from String Quartet No. 2 in D Major" by Alexander Borodin. It feels much more like a short from Disney's good old days than something from recent years. The story is sad and emotional, like I mentioned. It takes place in Russia and its artwork and backgrounds have a vaguely familiar feeling (resembling 20th Century Fox's "Anastasia"). The little girl of the story looks like Mulan, though.This story is based on a Hans Christian Anderson's fable about a poor and homeless little girl trying to sell matches in a cold Winter night (when it's freezy and snowing), possibly to get some money for some food and possibly to find a warm and comfortable place. The story shows us the difficulties she has to deal with and her wishes. These wishes are shown through the visions she has (like being in a warm and comfortable place). There are no dialogs at all, but despite that it's very easy to understand the story and its message.This short is included as an extra in 'The Little Mermaid' Platinum Edition DVD released in 2006. After getting that DVD, that is how I got to know this short.

I didn't get my first taste of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Match Girl" until a few weeks ago, when I watched Jean Renoir's silent short-subject adaptation, for which he unusually cast his 28-year-old wife in the lead role. Many subsequent versions of the story have followed, the latest being this impressive 7-minute snippet from Disney, which tells the story wordlessly against a classical music soundtrack. Notably, 'The Little Matchgirl (2006)' was the studio's final 2D-animated film, the last remnant of a dying art, its seems, in popular American animation. Directed by Roger Allers {whose only previous directorial credit was 'The Lion King (1994)'}, this short was nominated for an Academy Award in 2007, but lost to Torill Kove's 'The Danish Poet (2006),' which I unfortunately have yet to see. From a studio whose non-Pixar track-record has been a little shaky in recent years, this little treat suggests a glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel, and that Disney still retains more than enough creativity to produce quality works of art.In pre-revolutionary Russia, a young girl stands shivering in the winter cold, trying unsuccessfully to sell matches to passersby. As though she didn't exist, one person after another strides past without even acknowledging her silent pleads; one man scavenges enough kindness to help her down from a pole, but waves away the offer of a match. As night falls, the young girl huddles beneath a snowstorm, trying miserably to warm herself by the flame of a matchstick. As she slowly and tiredly succumbs to exposure, the girl descends into sparks of fairytale, envisioning the warm home of her deceased grandmother, with a roaring fire and a dinner table bulging with food. 'The Little Match Girl' was initially produced for a 'Fantasia'-style compilation film, and so the music – Aleksandr Borodin's "String Quartet #2 In D Major: 3rd Movement: Notturno (Andante)" – plays a major role. However, the music doesn't "interact" with the story and images as did the segments in 'Fantasia (1940),' and so there's an impersonality of tone that the film struggles to shake off.

We all should see this short film because it helps us to be aware of human suffering and needs, specially now when we are more concerned about spending our time and money only in appearing better than the others and in buying such a trivial, absurd and useless things, and yes, specially now that we are making cult to vanity and selfishness while there are so many people around the world, and around us dying of cold, being homeless, being in despair and starving of food and affection.A great story with a great music, sad but at the same time beautiful and tender, as we all humans are, after all.