Walt Disney claimed Lotte’s film was not a true cartoon
Lotte Reiniger created the first feature-length animation in 1926, over a decade before Walt Disney claimed the title in 1937. Could the 2026 centenary be the year she rightfully takes the crown as ‘The First’?
Few people know the work of this pioneering animator and her feature ‘The Adventures of Prince Achmed’. The reasons behind this injustice feel as relevant today as they did in her own era:
Walt Disney claimed that Lotte’s film was a ‘Silhouette’ picture and not a true cartoon, like Snow White. But the comparisons are hard to miss:
Lotte’s film was in colour, with a unique score, magical stories of princes and princesses, romance, fighting, animal companions and transformation.
It also used a unique multi-plane camera technique that Disney patented in the 1930s, while Lotte was busy travelling around Europe to avoid the Nazi regime.
Lotte was a German woman. ‘Snow White’ came out in America, at a time where the exploits of a German woman were not likely to be lauded. Though she had toured the world with her animation it was not shown in America, a fact that worked in Disney’s favour. He claimed to never have seen or known of her work or her multi-plane invention.
The original film was lost during World War II and was likely either burned or bombed. The copy we have now was found in the early 1970s by Louis Hagan Jr, a Jewish refugee who joined the British Airforce. He had watched Lotte make her film when he was 11, as she and her team animated it in his fathers attic for three years during the depression. They made the film on stock his father had bought because it held value better than money.
Rosanna Mallinson, Director & Dramaturge of Akimbo Theatre who are bringing ‘The Animator’ to Southwark, says ‘During our research process we met many old friends, archivists and enthusiasts. We discovered many extraordinary facts, including that an early version featured of her film had a kiss between two men that was cut due to secret Nazi infiltration of Berlin’s censorship board.
‘Next year will be 100 years since her film was made. BFI will have a book coming out, Akimbo Theatre are startiing to book a tour, and many museums will be showcasing her work. We hope that 2026 will be the year Lotte Reiniger gets the recognition she deserves.’
Southwark Playhouse Borough, 77-85 Newington Causeway, London, SE1 6BD from 20th – 30th August.
Booking and full details: https://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/the-animator/
