The Adventures of Prince Achmed

Sure to be a revelation to animation buffs, this dazzling and visually breathtaking 1926 silent film fantasy predates Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and stakes a claim to being the first animated feature. Three years in the making, this Arabian Nights adventure is brought to life with silhouette figures (which pioneering woman animator Lotte Reiniger meticulously cut herself and painstakingly manipulated frame-by frame!) played against fantastic color backgrounds and set to a captivating musical score. Prince Achmed, "young, brave and eager for adventure," finds same when he unwittingly mounts an evil sorcerer's flying horse and travels to the spirit land of Wak Wak, where he falls in love with a spellbinding Princess. Standing between them and happiness are the sorcerer who covets Achmed's sister, a Chinese emperor, a hunchback slave, and assorted demons and ogres. Coming to Achmed's aid is none other than Aladdin himself. Also included on the video is an hour-long 1999 documentary on the filmmaker entitled Lotte Reiniger: Homage to the Inventor of the Silhouette Film. No antiquated relic, but rather a film that continues to astonish 75 years after its premiere, this is highly recommended and an Editor's Choice. (K. Lee Benson)