a cold New Year's Eve, a young, poor girl (name unconfirmed) tries to sell matches in the street. She is already shivering from cold and early hypothermia.[1] Still she is afraid to go home, because her father will beat her for not selling any matches. She shelters in a nook and sits down.[2]
The girl lights the matches to warm herself. In their glow she sees several lovely visions, including a Christmas tree and a holiday feast. The girl looks skyward and sees a shooting star; she then remembers her dead grandmother saying that such a falling star means someone is dying and is going to Heaven. As she lights the next match, she sees a vision of her grandmother, the only person to have treated her with love and kindness. She strikes one match after another to keep the vision of her grandmother alive for as long as she can.
After running out of matches the child dies, and her grandmother carries her soul to Heaven. The next morning, passers-by find the child dead in the nook and feel pity for her, although they had not shown kindness to her before her death.[3] Andersen intended this to be a happy ending, as the girl is happy in Heaven with her grandmother and God, never to suffer in poverty again. Some more modern versions have changed the ending, so that a kind family rescues the girl from the cold and gives her good food, warm clothing, and a soft bed.Hans Christian Andersen no Sekai (1971, The World of Hans Christian Andersen), Toei Animation's animated film based on Andersen's works
The Little Match Girl (2003), an animated short film by Junho Chung for Fine Cut: KCET's Festival of Student Film
"The Little Match Girl" (2005), ADV Films' adaptation released in Hello Kitty Animation Theater, Vol. 3.
The Little Match Girl (2006), the last of four Walt Disney Feature Animation shorts originally intended to be part of a Fantasia (1940) compilation film, which project was canceled. This short was then developed as a stand alone film and was nominated for the 2006 Academy Award for Best Animated Short, losing to The Danish Poet. This short was subsequently released as a special feature on the 2006 Platinum Edition DVD of The Little Mermaid (1989). In 2015, the short was released on the Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection Blu-ray Disc.[6]
The girl lights the matches to warm herself. In their glow she sees several lovely visions, including a Christmas tree and a holiday feast. The girl looks skyward and sees a shooting star; she then remembers her dead grandmother saying that such a falling star means someone is dying and is going to Heaven. As she lights the next match, she sees a vision of her grandmother, the only person to have treated her with love and kindness. She strikes one match after another to keep the vision of her grandmother alive for as long as she can.
After running out of matches the child dies, and her grandmother carries her soul to Heaven. The next morning, passers-by find the child dead in the nook and feel pity for her, although they had not shown kindness to her before her death.[3] Andersen intended this to be a happy ending, as the girl is happy in Heaven with her grandmother and God, never to suffer in poverty again. Some more modern versions have changed the ending, so that a kind family rescues the girl from the cold and gives her good food, warm clothing, and a soft bed.Hans Christian Andersen no Sekai (1971, The World of Hans Christian Andersen), Toei Animation's animated film based on Andersen's works
The Little Match Girl (2003), an animated short film by Junho Chung for Fine Cut: KCET's Festival of Student Film
"The Little Match Girl" (2005), ADV Films' adaptation released in Hello Kitty Animation Theater, Vol. 3.
The Little Match Girl (2006), the last of four Walt Disney Feature Animation shorts originally intended to be part of a Fantasia (1940) compilation film, which project was canceled. This short was then developed as a stand alone film and was nominated for the 2006 Academy Award for Best Animated Short, losing to The Danish Poet. This short was subsequently released as a special feature on the 2006 Platinum Edition DVD of The Little Mermaid (1989). In 2015, the short was released on the Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection Blu-ray Disc.[6]
