Awareness Post: Lotte Reiniger

Lotte Reiniger (1899-1981) was one of the pioneers of animation film. She is known for her elaborate silhouettes and has made over 60 films in her lifetime, greatly contributing to the industry. Her 1926 feature, "The Adventures of Prince Achmed" is credited as the oldest surviving full length animated film and she is also believed to have first developed multiplane technology- adding dimension to animation. Her work involved both paper and cardboard cut out figures that were weighed with lead and hinged at the joints. As pictured, she hand manipulated each figure and recorded using stop motion techniques.

The Art of Lotte Reiniger, 1970 : A Short Documentary

https://www.metmuseum.org/perspectives/from-the-vaults-lotte-reiniger

Timeline:

1899 – Born in Charlottenburg, Germany

1915 – Begins creating paper silhouettes and studying theater

1918 – Works on Paul Wegener’s The Pied Piper of Hamelin

1919 – Joins Institute for Cultural Research in Berlin

1921 – Opens animation studio with Carl Koch

1922 – Releases Cinderella (Aschenputtel)

1923 – Creates Sleeping Beauty and The Stolen Heart

1926 – Premieres The Adventures of Prince Achmed

1929 – Produces Dr. Dolittle and His Animals

1935 – Creates Papageno in London

1939–1945 – Makes silhouette films for BBC during WWII

1953 – Releases The Magic Horse

1954–1956 – Produces Grimm fairy-tale films (Hansel and Gretel, The Star of Bethlehem)

1955 – Settles permanently in England

1961 – Completes The Frog Prince

1970 – Publishes Shadow Theatres and Shadow Films

1972 – Wins Filmband in Gold for lifetime achievement

1979 – Awarded Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

1981 – Dies in Dettenhausen, Germany

Screenshot

The Adventures of Prince Achmed

1923-1926

Screenshot

The Adventures of Prince Achmed

1923-1926

I just discovered her work after doing research into artists that use silhouettes. I really like how she is inspired by fairytales and the story-book quality, as that is something I lean into doing. Her visuals are also other worldly, another connection to my work. Before I had never even considered animation with silhouettes, but I really like the idea of making frames and just that being the work.