Winter Carousel is the last short by the pioneering stop-motion puppet animator Ladislaw Starewicz. It mainly concerns a group of forest animals cavorting in the snow, skating, riding on tree branches, and sledding. While you may get some amusing touches here and there, this short does seem a little on the bland side. And since there is no real story to pay attention to, most kids will probably get bored. I found this on a DVD called The Cameraman's Revenge and Other Fantastic Tales. Among other Starewicz shorts in this collection: The Cameraman's Revenge (1912), The Insects' Christmas (1913), The Frogs Who Wanted a King or Frogland (1922), The Voice of the Nightingale (1923), and The Mascot (1933). All are worth seeing, so if you're an animation fan who's curious about this forgotten animator, by all means seek them all out!
5 Reviews
not at all what I would expect from Starewicz
lee_eisenberg5 January 2017
One of Władysław Starewicz's final works depicts a bunch of animals in a wintry setting making merry, until a change forces them to adapt. Starewicz's early works were surreal, so I guess that he wanted to try something different towards the end. The result wasn't anything great. It was an interesting cartoon, but I like his early work the best (especially his stuff from the 1920s and 1930s).
In the end, Starewicz's cartoons show us that cartoons don't need to be fancy to be good. They just need talent going into them. Most of the cartoon shorts from decades past are more interesting than these animated features starring the celebrities of the moment.
So, it's not a great cartoon, but OK.
In the end, Starewicz's cartoons show us that cartoons don't need to be fancy to be good. They just need talent going into them. Most of the cartoon shorts from decades past are more interesting than these animated features starring the celebrities of the moment.
So, it's not a great cartoon, but OK.
Not particularly good.
planktonrules29 October 2011
Wladyslaw Starewicz was an early stop-motion pioneer. Many of his early films are simply amazing at the quality, style and fun. And, it's surprising how good they were considering how new the film industry was. Considering that "Winter Carousel" is one of the last films he made, you'd likely assume it's the culmination of all the wonderful things he'd learned and it would be among his best. Well, that is not the case at all. Unlike his great films, "Winter Carousel" has little in the way of story and therefore has little staying power as a film. It consists of three animals (and later a couple more) cavorting about in the snow and skating on the ice. One is clearly a rabbit--the other two are not so clear, as the dolls were not particularly high quality. Later, it becomes Spring and more of the same occurs. All in all, a pretty dull little film. I will point out that unlike his early films, this one is in color--but that isn't enough to save it.
Great animation, but I had no clue what was going on
Horst_In_Translation29 August 2016
Warning: Spoilers
"Carrousel boréal" or "Winter Carousel" is a 12-minute animated short film from 1958, so this one is already almost 60 years old. It was the last work by animation pioneer Wladyslaw Starewicz who was the director for this one and also worked on the script together with his daughter Irene. I must say there is nothing wrong with this one visually. it looks fairly good for a 1950s film and as already early in Starewicz' career, you will be amazed by how huge the difference is (in terms of style) between American animation from that era and his work here. It is a French production like several other Starewicz films, but don't worry. There is no dialogue in here, so you won't need subtitles. The one big problem here, the negative deal-breaker is the story. As good as the characters and landscapes may look, it is virtually impossible to understand what is going on here without any of the animals talking or at least intertitles. Starewicz included animals a lot in his works from the days of silent film already and he kept his routine in this sound film with color. But due to the downside I mentioned earlier, I don't recommend the watch here. Thumbs down.
Colorful & Pleasant, Though Somewhat Bland
Snow Leopard17 August 2004
The last of Wladyslaw Starewicz's animated features, "Winter Carousel" is colorful and pleasant, if often somewhat bland. It features his carefully detailed puppet animation, with the addition of lots of color, and it reprises one or two of his familiar animals along with some new ones.
There isn't really much of a story to this one. It starts with some animals playing in the snow and ice, and proceeds in a generally similar vein. It is agreeable to watch the creatures frolicking around, though after a while it gets to be pretty much more of the same. There is just enough to see to make it worth watching all the way through, and so it's worth seeing even though it does not have the rich detail of Starewicz's classics.
There isn't really much of a story to this one. It starts with some animals playing in the snow and ice, and proceeds in a generally similar vein. It is agreeable to watch the creatures frolicking around, though after a while it gets to be pretty much more of the same. There is just enough to see to make it worth watching all the way through, and so it's worth seeing even though it does not have the rich detail of Starewicz's classics.
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