You may have noticed today's (June 2nd) 'google doodle' on the early pioneer of ‘silhouette animation’ Charlotte Reiniger, we at Inklish certainly did and thought it'd be great to share a bit of her remarkable story with you.
Charlotte "Lotte" Reiniger was a German film director and animator. As a young girl, Reiniger was obsessed with the Chinese art of silhouette puppetry. As she grew she combined this with a love of cinema and began a career in the theatre. Her early work got her admitted into the German 'Institute for Cultural Research' where she met a number of other artists and future creative partners. Reiniger made a number of films in this period including her most famous, the 1926 animated film 'The Adventures of Prince Achmed'. The Adventures of Prince Achmed is the oldest surviving animated film in the world.
When the Nazis took control of Germany, Reiniger and her husband were forced to flee as both were staunch Nazi critiques. Unable to secure a safe place to live and work they moved from country to country in an attempt to stay ahead of the Nazi threat. Incredibly, even during this difficult time they managed to produce about 12 films.
After the war Reiniger and her husband moved to Britain where her skills and work were again recognised and she made a number new films for organisations like the BBC. Reiniger died in Germany in 1981.
We think this animator and her story are incredible and encourage you to check their ‘google doodle’ homage to her work: https://www.google.com/doodles/lotte-reinigers-117th-birthday