Tulip – a Charming Stop-Motion Adaptation of Thumbelina by Hans Christian Anderson

If you are familiar with the story of Thumbelina, then I suspect you will enjoy Tulip, as it is an adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen tale, cherished by generations of children and adults alike.  There are some differences in the telling, here – so, for example, we don’t have Thumbelina traveling to a distant land in order to meet her prince of flowers, but the fan favorites are there in the shape of the lonely woman who first discovers her and the various animals she encounters, such as the mole, the mouse and – of course – the swallow.  

After Tulip is discovered by the lonely old woman, she grows and becomes restless, confined to the woman's cottage (the old lady is scared that the outside world is too dangerous for the tiny Tulip).  Of course, Tulip takes matters into her own hands...

Purists may balk a little, but I think this is a wonderful retelling, created by Andrea Love and Phoebe Wahl (production, direction, writing, animation - the lot). The stop-motion work is simply wonderful  but I think the one thing that stands out most to be about this short is its use of colors.  Vibrant would be an understatement, and the detail is painstaking. The stop-motion is seamless – the water in the pond and Tulip’s tears were particularly impressive, given how difficult water is to animate properly using stop-motion techniques.

The characters, too, are beautifully made.  All of them are lovely, but I particularly like the bossy mouse in her sky-blue Victoriana. I was entranced by this from start to finish.  All the voice actors are excellent, but a special mention must be given to Christopher Flockton who tells the story in a charmingly mellifluous manner. Watch the film below.