Der Schneemann
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Der Schneemann, or The Snowman is a 1943 animated short, created by the Nazis as propaganda material. It was written by cartoonist Horst von Möllendorff and animated by Hans Fischerkoesen. It was animated in Potsdam, Germany, near UFA's Neubabelsberg Studios.
Described as being witty and inventive, the weight of the story is often carried by graphic brilliance and astonishing small detail. The general gist of the story is of a snowman that hides in a refrigerator in order to experience summer.
First Scene: The snowman comes to life. He plays with a dog.
Second Scene: The snowman is surfing on a frozen pond. He falls in the water and begins to melt. He rolls on the snow to regenerate. He is tired and tries to sleep. A rabbit makes an attempt to steal his carrot.
Third Scene: The snowman sees a house. He goes in and sees a calendar. The picture on the month of July makes his heart beat stronger. He protects himself in a refrigerator.
Fourth Scene: During this time, the sun makes the snow melt and gives colour to the botanical species.
Fifth Scene: It's time. A cuckoo-clock wakes the snowman. His back is stuck in the fridge. He adjusts the thermostat and waits. He leaves the refrigerator and looks for the signs of summer through the window. After a small hesitation, the sunflowers take the right position.
Sixth Scene: The snowman leaves. He breathes in the perfume of the flowers. He puts a pink rose in his lapel and is rolled in the fields. A ladybird uses two bridilles brush and skis on him.
Seventh Scene: The snowman makes a joke with a hen and offers him a frozen egg. It frightens the cows in their giving a frozen caress.
Eighth Scene: The snowman melts under the heat of the sun. He begin to sing "Da ist der Sommer meines Lebens..." (that's the summer of my life) and turns into water.
Ninth Scene/Finale: The children from second's scene rabbit jump into the snowman's heat and the rabbit takes the snowman's carrot as a souvenir.
