A fisherman once caught a talking golden fish. He gave him his freedom and was allowed to make a wish in return. He asked for a boat, but this was not enough for his wife, who demanded a house. Driven by his wife's greed, the fisherman demanded more and more until he had lost all the wealth he had gained.
The devil's grandmother sends her grandson to visit the Punch and Judy family. The devil hypocritically promises to behave in an exemplary manner, but does the opposite. He secretly eats the pudding, smashes the bowl, lies through his teeth and flees when he is caught by the policeman. Punch and the policeman pursue him and catch him with great difficulty. The adventure ends with a clear defeat for the devil and the devil's grandmother's anger at her clumsy grandson, who has once again been caught out.
Anna, the witch girl, has one short leg and one long leg and is therefore only called the hobble witch. Anna trains until she is far superior to all the others in both running and sneaking races. When she even reaches the end of the world and outwits two clumsy giants who do not want any creature to escape from this terrible place alive, she realises that she can be proud of herself.
A joint production by animators of the USSR and the GDR based on children's drawings from the time of the Revolution and drawings by children of the 1970s.
Cartoon based on letters and drawings of children of Soviet Union and German Democratic Republic.
Caliph Harun al-Rashid was turned into a stork by a power-greedy rival. Only with the help of his wise vizier and a beautiful princess is he able to escape the spell. Based on a fairy tale by Wilhelm Hauff.
The Prince of Porcelain, who only knows how to play with vain ladies in a cool porcelain world, wants to own the poor potters' myrtle tree. It was given to them instead of a child. The prince is sick with longing. The potter couple bring him the myrtle tree. He falls in love with it and one night discovers that a beautiful girl lives in it.
A poor woodcutter lived in the forest with his daughters Katrin and Else. Else was quarrelsome and lazy, Katrin was hard-working and good to people and animals. That is why the bear, the hare, the squirrel and the raven wanted to lead her to the forest house so that she could rescue the prince, who had been enchanted into an ancient man. Unfortunately, through unfortunate circumstances, the quarrelsome Else ended up in the forest house. Because she was lazy and unkind to the man and his animals, she was unable to redeem him and was punished. Only when the animals managed to escort Katrin into the forest house could everything be brought to a good end.
Olli, the main character in the movie, got a very bad grade and is terribly annoyed. She runs away from home and, together with a dog and a horse, finds a (mad? nutty?) scientist in a windmill. They experience the strangest adventures in this windmill and find other interesting characters, a lot of excitement and peril. While you may well interpret something as the "socialist value system" into this movie, it is more meant to be a children's movie, showing the kids that there are more exciting things out there than the ones that your parents and teachers show you, and that you will only find out most of those things on your own, if you show enough curiosity.
This short animation collage uncovers the financial backing of the Chilean Junta bosses by the US. Screened at the 1976 Oberhausen Int. Film Festival.
The devil begrudges Kasper his beautiful house. He wants to capture him and force him to build a new devil's house. But Kasper is clever enough to let the devil do all the work himself. The Kasper family succeeds in freeing Kasper and shooting the devil into the clouds.
Animated short film based on the Andersen tale. A king envies his son for the carefree way he spends his days and wants to find him a wife. She must not only be beautiful, but also particularly sensitive, which she must prove with the pea test in bed. The first, a hard-working peasant girl, is sent home immediately, the second leaves of her own accord because she finds the prince too boring, the third passes the test and marries the prince. Now he becomes king, and the old man retires to feed swans from now on.
Hans, a boy with a thirst for reading and knowledge, sets out with his horse Robert to redeem an enchanted castle. His cleverness and fearlessness allow him to triumph over the spirits and break the spell.
Kunz, the poor day laborer who is richly blessed with children, discovers the secret of the cave in the Simeliberg while collecting wood. Robbers keep their looted treasures there. Kunz takes some of it from time to time so that he can put a little more on the table for his family. Kunz's rich, stingy and suspicious neighbor discovers the secret of the treasure cave. His greed blinds him so much that he runs into his misfortune.
Puppet animated film based on a fairytale by the Brothers Grimm.
The very first images in the film set unprecedented standards in East German animated film: a Buñuelean eye that fills the entire screen, real-life sequences of fleeing animals and a sound collage running contrary to what is seen on the screen. This also extends to the protagonist of the film, a head on a foot without a body or arms who pads wearily through the depressing surroundings. Upon seeing various figures in the sky, he begins to copy their movements. To his surprise, he himself manages to grow wings and takes to the skies. But his attempt at flight ends in a sobering manner however, as it is revealed that flying creatures are just restricted in their range.
The invention of the chariot seems too daring for the Neanderthal experts. In collective consultation, they decide to reinvent the dugout canoe that has been known for ages. For this reason, the Neanderthals had to hump their way through life for quite a while.
A long time ago, there lived a tailor in Selva who was highly regarded for his good work. However, he was a crook who often cheated his customers. This is what happened to Hans, a carver, whose wedding suit turned out to be too small because the mayor's son was dressed in the fabric he had taken. Then Rübezahl intervened. The magic power of the mountain spirit caused all the cloth, which the tailor had wrongly acquired, to dissolve into nothing. Some people, including dignitaries, stood there in their underwear and the tailor felt the wrath of those who had been cheated. Hans received a new suit and shoes from Rübezahl and was now able to marry his Marie.
When the old miller dies, he leaves the mill to the eldest son, the donkey to the second eldest and a tomcat to the youngest. The tomcat wants to repay his master's friendship and help him. He has his boots made, gains access to the royal castle and catches the partridges the king wants. He impersonates the miller's boy Hans as "Count of the Mill", tricks him into wearing elegant clothes and brings him together with the king and the princess. He succeeds in overcoming the evil sorcerer and winning a magnificent castle for Hans. Hans finally becomes king and his cat first minister.
