Der Schneemann
Encyclopedia
Der Schneemann, also known as The Snowman, Snowman in July or The Magic Snowman, is a 1944 animated
short film
, created in Germany under the Nazi
regime. It was written by cartoonist Horst von Möllendorff
and animated by Hans Fischerkoesen
. It was animated in Potsdam
, Germany, near UFA's
Neubabelsberg Studios.
The snowman starts skating on ice but falls through and staggers away largely melted. However, by falling down a hill and rolling in the snow the snowman reforms himself.
The snowman now falls to sleep at night. A rabbit tries to steal his carrot nose but the snowman prevents this. The snowman gets up and enters a house and finds a calendar. He finds the month July on it and then puts himself in a refrigerator so that he may see this month.
During this time, the sun makes the snow melt and gives colour to the botanical species. Meanwhile the snowman sleeps in the refrigerator.
The snowman wakes in July. His back is stuck in the fridge. He adjusts the thermostat and waits. He leaves the refrigerator and looks for the signs of summer through the window. He embraces the summer and breathes in the perfume of the flowers. He puts a pink rose in his lapel and rolls in the fields.
The snowman melts under the heat of the sun. He begin to sing "Da ist der Sommer meines Lebens..." (that's the summer of my life) and turns into water. These are the only spoken words in the film. The rabbit from earlier mourns his loss whilst the children of the rabbit jump into the snowman's hat. He picks up the snowman's carrot and takes a bite from it.
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
short film
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
, created in Germany under the Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
regime. It was written by cartoonist Horst von Möllendorff
Horst von Möllendorff
Horst von Möllendorff was a German cartoonist who was "drafted" to work for the Nazi's animated short industry. He was hired as a result of former commercial animator Hans Fischerkoesen not being able to come up with adequate story ideas for his short films...
and animated by Hans Fischerkoesen
Hans Fischerkoesen
Hans Fischerkoesen, also known as Hans Fischerkösen or Hans Fischer, was a German commercial animator. At the 1st Berlin International Film Festival Fischerkoesen's film Blick ins Paradies won the Bronze Medal award.- Filmography :* Radau Brüder * Spiel der Wellen *...
. It was animated in Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
, Germany, near UFA's
Universum Film AG
Universum Film AG, better known as UFA or Ufa, is a film company that was the principal film studio in Germany, home of the German film industry during the Weimar Republic and through World War II, and a major force in world cinema from 1917 to 1945...
Neubabelsberg Studios.
Plot
Snow falls on the snowman to form a heart shape on him. The snowman wakes and begins juggling with the snow. A dog begins chasing him and takes a bite out of him. The dog then throws snow at the snowman but this only fills the missing part of the snowman. Eventually the dog leaves.The snowman starts skating on ice but falls through and staggers away largely melted. However, by falling down a hill and rolling in the snow the snowman reforms himself.
The snowman now falls to sleep at night. A rabbit tries to steal his carrot nose but the snowman prevents this. The snowman gets up and enters a house and finds a calendar. He finds the month July on it and then puts himself in a refrigerator so that he may see this month.
During this time, the sun makes the snow melt and gives colour to the botanical species. Meanwhile the snowman sleeps in the refrigerator.
The snowman wakes in July. His back is stuck in the fridge. He adjusts the thermostat and waits. He leaves the refrigerator and looks for the signs of summer through the window. He embraces the summer and breathes in the perfume of the flowers. He puts a pink rose in his lapel and rolls in the fields.
The snowman melts under the heat of the sun. He begin to sing "Da ist der Sommer meines Lebens..." (that's the summer of my life) and turns into water. These are the only spoken words in the film. The rabbit from earlier mourns his loss whilst the children of the rabbit jump into the snowman's hat. He picks up the snowman's carrot and takes a bite from it.