The Little Match Girl (1937): A cold, weird, and surprisingly dark short

Is this worth your time?

If you have a thing for vintage animation that feels a bit haunted, sure. If you’re looking for something light and festive to distract you from the world, absolutely not. It’s a total downer.

Hans Christian Andersen really knew how to write a story that ruins your mood for the rest of the day. This adaptation from '37 leans into that misery with everything it's got. The snow looks like it’s actually biting, and the girl’s face is just a permanent mask of sorrow. It’s effective, but man, it is heavy.

The animation is… something else

There’s a specific kind of jerky movement in these old shorts that makes everything feel like a fever dream. When she lights those matches, the transitions are jarring. One second she’s shivering in an alley, the next she’s in a glowing, golden heaven that looks like it was drawn by someone who hadn’t slept in three days.

I couldn't stop looking at the background textures. It’s almost like watching A Great Big Bunch of You but without any of the jazz to help you cope. The way the light flickers—it’s actually kind of impressive for the era, even if the result is deeply unsettling.

• The silence in the scenes without music is louder than the score.
• That one shot of the stove felt like it lasted a full year.
• The Rhythmettes do their best, but they can't make the ending any less devastating.

Is it fair to call a cartoon from 1937 “disturbing”? Probably. It’s not trying to be subtle about the fact that this kid is dying in the street. Unlike Felix the Cat Scoots Through Scotland, which has that bouncy, chaotic energy, this short just wants to sit in the cold with you until you feel awful.

Sometimes you just need to watch a sad little cartoon to remind yourself that movies used to be really, really weird. No moralizing here. Just a cold alley and a lot of matches. ❄️