The Adventures of Prince Achmed, created the hierarchy of Eurocentric features in animation

The Adventures of Prince Achmed

The Adventures of Prince Achmed | 1926 | Lotte Reiniger | Silhouette-animation

Prince Achmed’s adventures are based on the tales from One Thousand and One Nights. The original tales come from the Middle East and did not penetrate the West as fairy tales until around the 18th century. Die Abenteuer des Prinzen Achmed (translation: The Adventures of Prince Achmed) is considered the first animated film ever made. The story is a blending of elements from several stories, such as pieces from Prince Achmed himself and Aladdin and the Wonder Lamp. Together they form a story all their own.

Prince Achmed receives an order from the evil wizard to ride a magical flying horse. After trying several times to tame the horse, he finally succeeds and lets the horse descend. Arriving at a distant land, he sees the fairy princess Pari Banu and falls in love. During his adventures, he must battle demons to save the princess and win her heart.

A 2D animated film that has applied various film techniques of the time, which we still use today, so that it does not feel like flat 2D. For example, it used light projection in the background. This was done in certain scenes to convey the magical elements of the story to the audience. Sharpness was also used in some scenes to create depth in the background.

The film tinting has ensured that there is a connection to the emotions of the prince and the audience. The primary colors covering the film change with each alternation of time, place and emotion.

What struck me personally about the animation is how the characters are depicted. In most, if not all Disney films, the villains are depicted in a certain way. What I noticed is irrelevant when the antagonists are not human, but when it becomes problematic, is when the characters are based on the view of the writers and artists who worked on the films of a certain group of people is portrayed.

In the 1992 film Aladdin, it is very clear how certain groups are shown. The main characters Aladdin and Jasmine are depicted with Eurocentric features, while the other characters, such as Jafar, have very disproportionate and exaggerated features of a Middle Eastern appearance. This is also evident in the Die Abenteuer des Prinzen Achmed.