Delightful Mirth

Three Wishes for Cinderella (1973) [here]. A Czechoslovak-East German movie. This one is a classic christmas movie in czechia, Germany, Sweden and many other regions of europe and it has been my absolute favourite version of Cinderella since I was a child. I could gush about it for HOURS but I will only say this to convince you to watch it: Cinderella knows how to use a crossbow in this.

2. Hungarian Folktales (Magyar népmesék) [here]: This is actually a TV series and not a movie but oh well. Each episode tells a fairytale or folktale from Hungary. The music and artstyle are also based on traditional hungarian folk music and folk art. They actually heavily lean into the flatness of 2D animation in a similar fashion to the Irish Movie the Book of Kells or the way Disney’s Sleeping Beauty did it.

3. Rübezahls Schatz (Rübezahl's Treasure) [here]: If anyone recalls, in a previous post I had mentioned that one of my favourite fairytales is the stories surrounding the Mountain Spirit Rübezahl. So obv I’d LOVE a movie about him. This movie is part of the so called “Märchenperlen”, a german movie series. Each movie in the series adapts a classical fairytale. In this movie Rübezahl is a Guardian Spirit of the Mountains and a bit of a trickster God. But one day he falls in love with a mortal girl named Rosa and he begins to neglect his duties as a guardian. All the while the local Marquise is starting to destroy the forests of the mountains and trying to steal Rübezahl’s legendary gold treasure. So now Rübezahl has to choose between his mortal love or his guardian duties.

4. Schneewittchen und der Zauber der Zwerger (Snow White and the Magic of the Dwarfs): More Märchenperlen movies! This is as the title suggests an adaptation of Snow White but as so many Märchenperlen movies it once again takes creative liberties with its plot. For example in this version, Snow White is a bit of a Tomboy who actually knows how weapons like swords etc are forged as she would often sneak out of the castle to help the local smith with his work. It’s also her weapon-related autism that made the dwarfs trust her and take her in later on. In this version her and the prince also know each other already pretty well before the infamous kiss. And as the title suggests, the dwarfs themselves possess magic. Overall the movie in my eyes does a better job at what Disney attempted to do with their live action version of Snow White. The movie is not without flaws, but it is a comfort watch to me. If you do not speak German, don’t worry! You can simply use Google Chrome + translator to add automatic subtitles to the movie. Here is a guide on how to do it.

5. Der Süße Brei (Sweet Porridge) [here]: Another part of the Märchenperlen series. This one is based on the fairytale of the “pot that makes sweet porridge". Now the actual fairytale is VERY short. So the movie takes a lot of liberties. It takes place in a kingdom that is currently facing a giant famine. As Jola, a young peasant girl, goes out into the forest to forage for food. Instead she finds the shard of a pot and she is lead to believe that this might be a shard of the legendary "Sweet Porridge Pot". A magical artefact that can create food on its own without any ingredients. She is soon joined by the local earl's half brother to look for the other two shards. And so the adventure begins.

6. 哪吒闹海 (Nezha conquers the Dragon King) [here]. As a Lego Monkie Kid Fan and Folklore Nerd I am one of those white people who can claim they loved Nezha and knew about him before the new Nezha movie blew up/j. In all seriousness though if you enjoyed the Nezha movie that came out this year I HIGHLY recommend you watch the 1979 movie. It is animated BEAUTIFULLY and sticks quite a bit closer to the actual tale of Nezha to say the least. An absolute gorgeous experience.

7. Ка́рлик Нос (Little Longnose) [here]: I have talked about this movie before in length in my Post for a Blurrbee AU based on it. So I will not spend too much time on a summary for it. All I am gonna say about this movie that its quality is very close to a Disney movie from the 2000s. It is genuinely that good. Greta is to this day also among my favourite non disney princesses and her and Jacob’s love story means the WORLD to me. So please if you have the time PLEASE give this movie a watch. But if you do please go with the OG russian dub or the german dub. The english dub ain’t it chief.

8. Василиса Прекрасная (Vasilisa Mikulishna) [here]: After her husband gets imprisoned by the Prince of Kiev, Vasilisa Mikulishna cuts off her long hair and disguises herself as a man to rescue her lover. This movie is barely 18 minutes long but animated beautifully and definitely worth a watch.

9. Peau d'Ane (Donkey Skin) I am gonna be honest this movie only made the list because of its ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS cinematography. The colours, the costume designs, the lightning, everything! The movie is aesthetically VERY pleasing. But the movie also includes some very icky (but for french fairytales unfortunately not uncommon) plot points that feature themes of incest. So give this movie a watch if you think you cab handle that.

10. Иван Царевич и Серый волк (Prince Ivan and the grey Wolf) [here]: This russian movie is a bit absurd in its humour but in a charming way. It is VERY VERY VERY losely based on my favourite fairytale of all time by the same name. In this movie Prince Ivan must find a way to conquer the heart of a certain princess. And he is assisted in his endavours by none other but a grey wolf.