Hansel and Gretel: An Opera Fantasy (1954)

I have to admit that I didn't watch this animated version of the Engelbert Humperdinck (the original composer, not the modern-day singer) opera in all seriousness. That's because I was thoroughly creeped out by the animatronic puppets used in the story, which are the most disturbing I've ever seen. Thus despite the music and the staging, I could take none of this seriously, and instead was left feeling uneasy throughout. The bad dubbing over the top doesn't help much either. This truly is the stuff of nightmares and I've been unable to stop thinking about it afterwards.

I first watched this film as a child in the 80's. I loved it and a few weeks ago heard something that reminded me of this story. I rented it from NetFlix and watched it last night.Although they film quality is poor, it was a great film for it's time and this movie still entertains me today. My daughter also watched this film and I saw the same emotions in her that I remember feeling as I watched it as a child. Fear of the wicked witch, the amazement in her eyes when she saw the witch's house and the giggles at the little bear and goose. It just took me back to a time long ago when those little things made me happy and I'm glad I was able to find this film to share it with her.The story is timeless, the film is excellent and I just love it! Great for all ages!

This was the first full-length stop-motion feature made in the United States. In spite of other comments posted here Mybergh's "Hansel and Gretel" was filmed entirely in New York City. The film was done sequentially and as funding for the production dried up and the release date drew nearer the animators were forced to speed things up. The animation becomes quite hurried and sloppy near the end and if you look closely you will notice that both the angels from the Dream Pantomime and the Revived Gingerbread Children are only multiple castings of both Hansel and Gretel redressed. There simply was no time to do original sculptures for these characters.This was to be the first in a series of full-length stop motion features by Mybergh's production team, but despite it doing exceptional business in Germany it failed to ignite at the box office in the United States. According to members of the Mybergh Estate most of the original elements are still intact and we can only hope that someone will take it upon themselves to do a proper restoration of this amazing film to replace the shoddy, amateur DVD edition that is currently available. Anna Russell's vocal performance as Rosina Rubylips is one that is unlikely to ever be equaled and Evalds Dajevskis' set designs definitive.

This is a stop-motion animation film of the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale, done, apparently, somewhere in Europe--the Austrian Apollo Boys Choir does the background vocals, so the film could have been made there or in nearby Hungary or Czechoslovakia, both of which were producing well-done animation films--but passed off as an American film, which it is not. Considering the time it was made and the conditions existing in Europe during that period, it is an admirable attempt indeed. The stop-motion, while not up to the standards of Ray Harryhausen, who was doing similar work at the time, is still well-done, and great care was obviously taken in the dubbing and scoring of the film. The background music is at times a bit overpowering, and there are spots where the dialogue is drowned out by it, but there are some imaginative touches throughout and and some visually beautiful moments. Children who are used to today's high-tech computer animation may not be impressed technically, but the film overall should appeal to them. Recommended.