The Andersen Stories: A thorough explanation of the appeal of the classics and their influence on modern times

The Andersen Story - The Andersen Story

■ Public Media

theater

■ Original Media

Fairy tales

■ Release date

March 19, 1968 - January 1, 0000

■Distribution company

Toei

■ Eirin Number

14890

■Frequencies

80 min

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 1

■Original Story

Hans Christian Andersen

■ Production

Toei Animation

■Works

©Toei

■ Story

One day, Uncle Ole, a sleepy spirit, visits Keke, a mouse who lives in a church. He redecorates their room, but gets carried away and breaks their shoes. Keke introduces Uncle Ole to a shoemaker. There, Uncle Ole meets Hans, a genius storyteller, and offers some red leather to Hans' father to pay for the repairs. Later, a big commotion occurs because of the red shoes made from that leather.

■Explanation

This is a full-scale musical feature-length animated film produced by Toei Animation. The main character, Hans, is the future fairy tale writer H.C. Andersen, and the film incorporates elements of his representative works such as "The Red Shoes," "Thumbelina," and "The Little Match Girl." This film won the Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare's Children's Culture Award and the Ministry of Education's Youth Film Award. It was shown as part of the Toei Children's Festival, along with "Arabian Nights: Sinbad the Sailor (Revival)" and "Monster Prince."

■Cast

・Uncle Ole / Tadao Takashima・Hans / Yoshiko Fujita・Elisa / Kazuko Sugiyama・Karen, the mayor's daughter / Eiko Masuyama・Goro, the black cat of Hans' family / Yasushi Suzuki・Bull, the mayor's dog / Shinsuke Minami・Mimi, the female cat of Elisa's family / Katsue Miwa・Keke, the church mouse / Chiharu Kuri・Mayor / Ryoichi Tamagawa・Local supervisor / Arihiro Fujimura・Hans' father / Kosei Tomita・Hans' mother / Michiko Hirai・Heinrich / Ichiro Nagai

■ Main staff

・Producer / Hiroshi Okawa・Original story / Hans Christian Andersen・Planning / Masajiro Seki, Seiichi Moro, Ken Ariga・Production assistant / Yoshiharu Furusawa・Screenplay / Hisashi Inoue, Morihisa Yamamoto・Director / Kimiro Yabuki・Assistant directors / Yasuo Oyobe, Katsutoshi Sasaki・Chief animation director / Akira Daikuhara・Key animation / Tomekichi Takeuchi, Katsuya Oda, Michihiro Kanayama, Hideki Mori, Tatsuji Kino, Akinori Matsubara, Satoshi Hirakawa, Kinnosuke Hirakawa・Art / Reiji Koyama・Color design / Tadanao Tsuji・Inspection / Masatoyo Ogura, Atsuko Nishimoto・Color matching / Yohei Taniguchi・Cinematography / Akio Hayashi, Motoman Shirane・Editing / Yutaka Chikura・Music / Seiichiro Uno・Sound recording / Hiromi Kanbara・Sound effects / Yoshiro Matsushita・Recording / Toshiko Kawashima・Produced by Toei Animation

■ Main Characters

Uncle Ole is a sleeping spirit who comes down to the town with an umbrella. He gives Hans' father "red leather" to pay for the repair of his shoes, which is said to make shoes that move people's hearts. He is the first to discover Hans' talent for storytelling.

A boy who loves to make up stories and tell them to people. He is the son of a shoemaker and dreams of seeing an opera at the Royal Theatre. He participates in the "Red Shoes Competition" and hopes to use the prize money to see an opera.

Elisa Hans' friend, the Little Match Girl, is kicked out of her house because of a scarf that her black cat Goro stole for her.

Karen, the daughter of Mayor Hans. She steals the shoes that Hans' father made for the "Red Shoes Competition" without permission. However, right after she puts them on, she is forced to dance forever.

■ Related works

・Simultaneous screening: "Arabian Nights: Sinbad the Sailor (revival)"
"Monster Prince"

■ Theme songs and music

・Theme song/song title under investigation ・Lyrics/Inoue Hisashi, Yamamoto Mamoru ・Composition/Uno Seiichiro ・Singers/Takashima Tadao, Fujita Yoshiko, Kuri Chiharu, Vocal Shop

・Insert song: Morning Light Song ・Lyrics: Hisashi Inoue ・Music: Seiichiro Uno ・Singer: Tadao Takashima

・Insert song: Two people's hobbies ・Lyrics: Hisashi Inoue ・Music: Seiichiro Uno ・Singer: Tadao Takashima, Chiharu Kuri

■ Review

"Andersen's Tales" is a feature-length animated film produced by Toei Animation and released in 1968. It is a musical based on the works of fairy tale author Hans Christian Andersen. The story of this film skillfully weaves together Andersen's masterpieces such as "The Red Shoes," "Thumbelina," and "The Little Match Girl," making it enjoyable for both children and adults.

The story begins with an encounter between Uncle Ole, a sleep spirit, and Hans, a boy with a talent for making up stories. The film begins with Uncle Ole redecorating the church's Mouseketeer room, and is full of humor and fantasy, drawing viewers in. In particular, the scene where Uncle Ole gives red leather to Hans' father is an important point that foreshadows what will happen later. The shoes made from this red leather are a major turning point in the story.

The character of Hans is a projection of Andersen in his younger days, depicting his talent for storytelling and his determination to pursue his dreams. The scene where Hans dreams of participating in the "Red Shoes Competition" and seeing an opera with the prize money is captivating to the audience. In addition, the hardships faced by Hans' friend Elisa as a little match girl and the tragic fate of Karen, who wears the red shoes and dances forever, also reflect the deeper themes of Andersen's original work.

The film's music was composed by Seiichiro Uno, and it brings out the film's appeal as a musical to the fullest. In particular, the theme song and insert songs heighten the emotions as the story progresses, leaving a strong impression on the viewer. The star-studded cast, including Tadao Takashima and Yoshiko Fujita, also express the individuality of the characters in a rich way, further enhancing the film's appeal.

This film has also won the Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare's Children's Culture Award and the Ministry of Education's Youth Film Award, and has been highly praised for its artistic quality and educational value. It was also screened as part of the Toei Children's Festival along with "The Arabian Nights: Sinbad the Sailor (Revival)" and "The Monster Prince," and was loved by many children.

■Recommendation

"Andersen's Tales" is a masterpiece that depicts Andersen's world, where fantasy and reality intersect, with beautiful animation and music. It is especially recommended for those who love Andersen's original work and those who enjoy musical animation. It is also a good movie to watch with your family to teach children the power of stories and the importance of pursuing your dreams.

Furthermore, this film is a good opportunity to learn about Andersen's work. If you watch this film after reading the original works such as "The Red Shoes" and "The Little Match Girl", you will be able to gain a deeper understanding and be deeply moved. "The Andersen Stories" is not only an animated film, but also has value as a literary work, and is a work that you will want to watch again and again.