A picture book biography of a pioneer of animation: the talented woman who created the first feature length animated film.

Lotte thinks the cinema is magic. But Lotte doesn’t just want to watch the magic: she wants to make it. Before Walt Disney made history with Snow White, Lotte Reiniger created what is considered one of the first feature-length animated films: The Adventures of Prince Achmed. With the outset of World War II, Lotte had to leave her home in Germany, fleeing from place to place for years. But she never stopped creating. Through a love of fairy tales, a strong creative vision, and her uniquely expressive paper puppets, Lotte brought new possibilities to the world of film. Written in gorgeous lyrical prose, and illustrated with striking papercut illustrations that evoke Lotte’s classic silhouette creations, this captivating picture book will introduce readers to the life and art of an unsung creative trailblazer.

For three years during the 1920s, in an attic in Potsdam, a young woman crafted what is today the oldest surviving animated feature film. Equipped with scissors, cardboard, sheets of lead, glass panes and a camera, animation pioneer Lotte Reiniger filmed Die Abenteuer des Prinzen Achmed (The Adventures of Prince Achmed) using a technique of frame-by-frame silhouette animation she developed, inspired by Chinese shadow puppetry. As the result of a number of factors--her gender, her German ethnicity, World War II and a lack of funding--Reiniger became a footnote in animation history. Yet her 60-plus films plainly show her skill and dedication to her craft. This detailed account of her life and work describes her significant contributions to animation, puppetry, Weimar cinema and modern filmmaking.

Cinderella with a strong feminist twist, based on the life and work of pioneer German animator and film director Lotte Reiniger. Lotte doesn't believe in happy endings. She lives with her horrible, bossy sisters and her only friends are the exquisite cut-out paper puppets she makes by the light of the moon. But when an invitation to the Palace Spring Ball arrives on their doorstep, Lotte sees her chance to change her life for ever... Cinderella with a difference where forceful individuality and talent create real life happy endings, not fairy tale magic.

An innovative picture book biography about an unsung hero of early animation Lotte Reiniger (1899-1981) was a German film director and animator best known for The Adventures of Prince Achmed, which was released in 1926 and is the oldest surviving animated movie. (It came out a full 11 years before Disney's Snow White!) As a little kid, Reiniger loved reading fairytales and fell in love with puppetry. At school, she learned about paperschnitte, or papercuts, which helped her create her signature style of silhouettes. She grew up to make more than 40 films throughout her long career, most of which were fairytales that used her stop-film animation technique of hand-cut silhouettes. Reiniger is now seen as the foremost pioneer of silhouette animation and the inventor of an early form of the multiplane camera. With art inspired by Reiniger's cut-paper style and a text that uses a fairytale motif that mimics her movies, Out of the Shadows is a sweeping tribute to one of most important figures of animation, whose influence still resonates today.

A Gallery of Our Own: Women of Art History seeks to balance art history and art appreciation by teaching the artistic contributions of women. This series will teach about the artists, the art movements they were a part of, the history during the time period in which they lived, and the forms of art they created. It also includes hands-on projects using a variety of mediums and techniques, observation activities and a journal to keep track of what you learn. In this edition, learn about: Sophie Taeuber-Arp’s early life, education, art career, Dada, and the world events that surrounded her life Weaving, collage, embroidery, puppets and puppetry, found object and readymade art Art vocabulary Learn through: Digestible texts interspersed with colorful illustrations and video links Observing and interacting with artwork Hands on art projects offered at a variety of levels Notebooking pages to organize, reinforce, and review their new knowledge Suggested resources for deeper exploration