The Little Match Girl

If you were to ask any normal person about Disney short films, chances are they would name a selected few. However, if you were to ask a movie critic or animation fanatic, they would be able to name Disney short film library. One of those short films that’s been called a classic and really underlooked is “The Little Match Girl,” released in 2006.

Nick Cunningham stated in his review, “Based on the story by Hans Christian Anderson – author of The Little Mermaid and The Snow Queen – The Little Match Girl was originally part of an anthology film of shorts comprising Fantasia 2006. But due to unknown reasons (I’m leaning towards a lack of interest) the film was canceled. However, though the film was shelved, that didn’t mean the segments needed to be gone too. It was decided by the powers-that-be to turn the proposed shorts into short films.”

This is a beautiful short film. “The Little Match Girl” is about a young girl who lives on the snowy streets of Moscow, Russia trying to sell matches. However, everyone is unresponsive to her, and she doesn’t really meet up with a lot of people, which causes her to try to warm herself in a snowy alley. She eventually lights some of her remaining matches to keep herself warm. Once she does she sees images of a dinner, a furnace burning, and her grandmother. After each image disappears, she lights all of her matches to keep the image of her grandmother going, seeing a bright Christmas tree lighting the candles.

The short beautifully consists of so much detail. The animation is some of the best. Since this is made by Disney, anyone could expect great work when it comes to their traditional animation. Cunningham said, “What I really love about this short film is the mix of orchestrated classical music and 2D animation they blend so well. It reminds me of how well the original Fantasia segments worked. The Little Match Girl is on par with those segments.”

Since it is based on a short story, there are going to be some differences. For the most part, this adaptation stays true to the original short story. Cunningham noted, “The only noticeable differences are the setting change from Denmark to Russia and the exclusion of the girl’s cruel and overbearing father. I don’t mind these changes.” If you haven’t seen the film, I highly recommend it. You can find it on “The Walt Disney Short Films Collection” on DVD and Blu-Ray. It should also still be available for free streaming on Netflix and Disney+. This is a short that only lasts seven minutes long, but it’s one you should see, especially in this holiday season.

I first heard about this when Nostalgia Critic listed his “Top 12 Best Christmas Specials” during his first year of the show. Then I saw it earlier this year on Netflix and I really liked it. This is a sad story and you might tear up at the end, but it’s still a heartwarming story you should see. Wow, I’m on my 1,000^th review, and I really treated this one with care, especially with this short that I think everyone should see and give it some recognition.

Look out tomorrow to see the next short I will look at in “Disney Month 2020.”