It is always interesting seeing stop motion/puppet animation and especially the older stuff. It can be old-fashioned but very charmingly so, have more often than not found it lovely to watch and at its best magical. Mostly avoiding being too crude or trying to do too much. What has been seen of one of the pioneers of it Jiri Trnka's work is really quite impressive and he and his feature and short films are deserving of a lot more credit and international exposure than they get presently.

A musical take on the 'Town Musicians of Bremen' story, this is definitely worth seeing for animation fans and if you want to see everything of Trnka. Or all the versions of the story available. It is not one of my favourite Trnka works though, if anything for me it's one of his weakest and perhaps the weakest of the ones seen. That doesn't mean it's bad, it is a long way from that and it is quite impressive actually for such an early effort of his. Just prefer the work of his that has more ambition and visual beauty, as well as the ones that appeal to me in terms of story.

There is a lot to like here. It looks great, Trnka's visual style did become more refined and ambitious later but for so early on there is some very impressive work going on here. Especially the designs for the characters and the angles. The music plays a major role here and while it is a bit of a cliche to cite something as being like a character of its own, the dynamic and beautifully orchestrated music here is a joy to listen to.

Furthermore, a lot of charm can be seen here as well as never being too juvenile or heavy. The story moves at a good clip and the characters, while quite one-dimensional, are very engaging and easy to root for.

However, it is slightly too cutesy at times and quite flowery.

Did think too that it could have afforded to have been longer, it's only under 10 minutes and 12-15 minutes would have been better. 'Town Musicians of Bremen' is a slight story but not that much, with a longer length some of the story could have had a little more time to breathe as it did feel for my tastes slightly rushed towards the end.

Concluding, nice. 7/10.

Animation is a form of visual storytelling that involves creating visual art and motion through the use of various techniques and technologies. In animation, images are manipulated to create the illusion of movement, bringing characters, objects, and environments to life. Animation can encompass a wide range of styles, themes, and intended audiences, making it a diverse and versatile form of storytelling.

Daveigh Chase, Rumi Hiiragi, and Mari Natsuki in Spirited Away (2001)

The family genre features stories specifically created to be suitable for a wide range of age groups within a family. Family-oriented content is designed to be enjoyed by both children and adults, often providing entertainment that is wholesome, relatable, and appropriate for all members of a family to watch or experience together.

Drew Barrymore and Pat Welsh in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

The short form refers to creative works characterized by their brevity and concise storytelling. Unlike full-length feature films, short films have a running time of less than 45 minutes, while TV shorts have a running time of less than 22 minutes.

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)

The second cartoon by Jiří Trnka that was a sensation at the festival in Cannes in 1946 when it defeated the world animation elite of the time. It is a musical fairy-tale based on a famous folk story about animals that deterred thieves. The picture finished the monopoly of Disney's style in animation and it started an impetuous development of European animation. The picture is one of the best in the world of animation.

The Biggest Movies and TV Coming in September

"The Gentlemen" and "Slow Horses" return this fall, while the "Reacher" spin-off series "Neagley" makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

2026 Fall TV and Streaming Watch Guide

&quot;The Gentlemen&quot; and &quot;Slow Horses&quot; return this fall, while the &quot;Reacher&quot; spin-off series &quot;Neagley&quot; makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

Get a closer look at these actors from their many TV and streaming series roles.

Zvírátka a petrovstí

Photos

User reviews2

Related interests

Storyline

Did you know

Top picks

Details

Tech specs

Contribute to this page

More to explore

Recently viewed