Vintage animation: The Insects’ Christmas
The Insects’ Christmas is a short film from 1913 by the pioneering animator Władysław Starewicz (later Ladislas Starevich).
During his time as director of a natural history museum in Lithuania, Starewicz began making live-action nature documentaries. Apparently he turned to stop-motion while trying to film a battle between stag beetles who kept falling asleep under the stage lights; using dead beetles, wire, and wax, he engineered the scene he was looking for.
There are no beetle battles in The Insects’ Christmas (apart from a Christmas cracker tug of war with a frog), but the film has some magical moments and plenty of old-fashioned charm.
About the Author
Stan Stan is a freelance writer and editor. He blogs about the English language at Sentence first and can also be found on Twitter.
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At last! Something clear I can uendrsntad. Thanks!