The Insects' Christmas

This Wladyslaw Starewicz film must surely be one of the first examples of a festive movie. In it a Father Christmas ornament comes to life and descends a Christmas tree. He then travels to the forest and conjures up a little Christmas tree. Several insects and a frog are invited to approach the tree and celebrate the spirit of Christmas themselves.

This animated feature recalls another Starewicz film, the insect based Cameraman's Revenge. It would be only fair to say that this one is not up to the standard of that bizarre classic though. It doesn't have the same level of surrealism and is less imaginative. It has a much sweeter message and is more clearly aimed at a family audience. That said this remains an extremely charming and well-crafted little flick. Its Christmas ambiance is very nice and it has warmth without being schmaltzy. The blue tint used gives it a certain winter fell too. These insect films by Starewicz really are something that every fan of animation should take time out to see.