Hans Christian Andersen on Stage and Screen

Out of all the authors to publish fairy tales over the years, there is no denying that the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen is one of the best and most iconic. Over a career spanning approximately 4 decades, he wrote several brilliant fairytales, including The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling and The Emperor’s New Clothes, and these have inspired numerous films, TV series and plays. This month, Martin McDonagh’s new play A Very Very Very Dark Matter will premiere in London, providing a unique interpretation of Andersen’s life and work which is certain to divide opinion and offend those who prefer more tasteful fairy tale projects. McDonagh's play will be the latest in a long line of productions which have allowed Andersen's influence to endure over the centuries. This article will highlight some of the most interesting works inspired by Hans Christian Andersen and his fairytales, ranging from record-breaking Disney hits to small-scale animated series, from stop-motion musicals to TV miniseries. Some of these are straightforward adaptations, others take inspiration from history and show how Andersen’s eventful life inspired his finest work. But all the projects here demonstrate how Andersen has influenced a wide variety of writers and directors from all over the world...

Disney and Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales formed the basis for two of Disney’s most iconic and successful movies – 1989’s The Little Mermaid and 2013’s Frozen, inspired by his epic The Snow Queen. Both have already been discussed extensively on this blog, so there is no need to spend too much time talking about them. Walt Disney had wanted to adapt both tales as early as the 1940s, but had issues expanding the stories to feature length and dealing with their substantial religious elements. Therefore, when his studio finally brought them to the big screen, they took numerous liberties with the source material. The Little Mermaid turned Andersen’s tragic tale into an upbeat romantic musical with a happy ending, whilst Frozen is barely recognisable as an adaptation of this tale, keeping the basic plot (a heroine travels through a wintry world to rescue a loved one) but changing almost everything else. Andersen purists have often been outraged by such extreme deviations from the source material, but the memorable and engaging characters, wonderful animation and iconic songs have allowed these films to win the hearts of audiences all over the world. For better or worse, when you are asked to think of The Little Mermaid or The Snow Queen, most people will think of Princess Ariel and her red hair, or Queen Elsa and her ability to control snow and ice. Both films have been adapted into Broadway musicals and inspired numerous sequels and spin-offs, such as a The Little Mermaid TV series, which contained an episode where Ariel meets Hans Christian Andersen and inspires him to write his legendary fairy tale.

These two hits are not the only times Disney have adapted Hans Christian Andersen tales for the screen. In 1999, they created a short adaptation of The Steadfast Tin Soldier for their animated anthology film Fantasia 2000. Using primitive CGI animation, they created a silent retelling set to the Shoshtakovich piece 'Piano Concerto No 2' but added a happier ending to suit the triumphant conclusion of this composition. This was soon followed by an adaptation of The Little Match Girl, which was intended for another Fantasia movie, but released on DVD as a standalone short when that was cancelled. However, The Little Match Girl stuck to the tearjerking end of the source material and was nominated for an Oscar. The acclaim it received demonstrated that the House of Mouse can make a perfectly faithful adaptation of an Andersen tale when it wishes to.

The Red Shoes

Although it is not a direct adaptation, Michael Powell and Emric Pressburger’s 1948 film The Red Shoes is widely regarded as the best film to be inspired by Andersen’s work. Taking its title from an Andersen story about a foolish young girl and her cursed footwear, The Red Shoes provides a powerful examination of our need to perform and the destructive effects this can have. In the film, Andersen’s fairy tale is used as the source material for an elaborate ballet performed by Victoria Page, a dancer for the ballet company of tyrannical but brilliant director Boris Lermontov. As she finds herself torn between her work and her relationship with a young composer, life begins to imitate art as Victoria starts to unravel and lose her sanity. At a time when most films were made in black and white and resources were limited, The Red Shoes used dreamlike technicolour cinematography and lavish sets from the painter Hein Heckroth to capture the fantastical grandeur of the ballet world. This is particularly apparent in the movie’s signature scene, a 15-minute sequence where we see Victoria perform the 'Red Shoes' ballet. Whilst it struggled to make money on its initial UK release and was dismissed by some ballet experts, The Red Shoes went on to become a major success – it won Oscars for its set design and score and was even nominated for Best Picture. Today, the movie is recognised as one of the finest and most influential British movies ever made, and its influence has gone beyond cinema, as it has inspired musicals, ballets and even an album by Kate Bush.

Die Wilde Svaner (The Wild Swans)

Andersen’s success and popularity has allowed him to attain legendary status in his native Denmark. A museum about his life and work is one of the main tourist attractions in his hometown of Odense, whilst the Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen has become the defining symbol of Denmark. The extent to which Andersen has become one of Denmark’s most significant cultural exports was highlighted by this Danish adaptation of The Wild Swans from 2009. This retelling was remarkable because one of the main people behind it was the Queen of Denmark herself. Margrethe II, ruler of Denmark since 1972, has become known for creating artwork and illustrating children’s books. For this production, she designed the costumes and sets, co-wrote the script, and even appeared as an extra in the climax. The film is an extremely close adaptation of one of Andersen’s most underrated stories, with the remarkably tenacious princess Elisa undergoing a vow of silence to free her brothers from a curse which has turned them into swans. This film is not afraid to explore the scarier and more mature aspects of the story, but the highlight is Margrethe’s artwork. The backdrops and scenery are made from paper cutouts (A technique known as Decoupage), which enhances the fairytale feel of the movie. The Wild Swans does not get adapted as often as other Andersen stories, but Queen Magrethe’s retelling manages to demonstrate why it deserves to be recognised as one of his best tales.

The Fairytaler

There have been numerous animated anthology series based on fairytales, but The Fairytaler is one of the best, representing a particularly excellent way to introduce children to Andersen’s work. The magical tone is set by the intro, which is initially done in live-action. Two children in a modern apartment block wait for a babysitter to arrive and tell them stories. When he arrives, the three turn off the lights, shut the blinds and light a candle. When they do this, the scene changes to animation, with the room becoming the inside of a carriage and the storyteller turning into Hans Christian Andersen (who narrates every episode) – this opening effectively demonstrates how Andersen’s stories will always seem as fresh and engaging as they were when he first told them. The series itself retains the sense of imagination and wonder implied in this opening sequence. Throughout its run, 30 Andersen tales are adapted, ranging from iconic stories such as The Little Mermaid and The Ugly Duckling to incredibly obscure tales such as The Professor and the Flea and What The Old Man Does Is Right. Each episode sticks closely to Andersen’s text, but changes and elaborates on occasion. The animation is bursting with colour, and the characters depicted in an incredibly lively and expressive manner. For a series which was made on a limited budget and only reached a limited audience, it is legitimately impressive. The Fairytaler was primarily aimed at Danish viewers, but has also been aired in other countries, with a British dub getting a short run on the American channel PBS Kids. All the episodes are now available to view on YouTube and are definitely recommended for Andersen fans.

Other Andersen Musicals

Aside from Disney’s Broadway versions of The Little Mermaid and Frozen, Hans Christian Andersen has inspired several stage musicals, but only a few have made it to Broadway. One of these is Once Upon A Mattress, an adaptation of The Princess and the Pea. Although it is incredibly difficult to turn this miniscule story into a full-length musical, Once Upon a Mattress expands its source material substantially, adding a tyrannical queen, a king cursed with mutism, a couple trying to get married before their baby is born, and an eccentric jester to the story of Princess Winnifred and the unusual test she undergoes in order to be recognised as a potential husband to Prince Dauntless. The silly and comedic tone was ahead of its time (it would be four decades before Shrek became a hit with a similar irreverent approach), and after an initial shorter production at the Tamiment Resort, Once Upon A Mattress soon made it to Broadway. There, it defied mediocre reviews to run for seven months at four different theatres and get nominated for two Tony Awards. Once Upon A Mattress was revived on Broadway in 1996 and has been adapted for television three times, in 1964, 1972 and 2005. The iconic comedienne and actress Carol Burnett, who made her stage debut as Princess Winifred in 1959, reprised the role in the first two televised versions, before playing the villainous Queen Aggravin in the third.

Although Once Upon A Mattress remains popular with schools and drama groups all over the world, the 1991 musical Once On This Island is a far superior Andersen adaptation. Based on a novella by Rosa Guy, this creative take on The Little Mermaid translated the story to the Caribbean, turning the mermaid into a black peasant girl and the prince she wants to marry into the scion of the mixed-race social elite. With approval from Guy, Lynn Ahrens and Steven Flaherty expanded her short and bleak story into a moving and joyous musical. Blending a colourful Carribean influenced soundtrack (including catchy and powerful songs such as 'Mama Will Provide' and 'We Tell the Story') with a thought-provoking examination of prejudice and colourism, it quickly attracted favourable reviews from the critics. The original version ran on Broadway for over a year and became something of a cult favourite amongst Broadway fans. However, Once On This Island really came to prominence when a revival of it opened on Broadway in December 2017. This production made use of innovative immersive staging, featuring costumes and instruments made of recycled rubbish, as well as real sand and a real lake. The production even included live goats and chickens on stage! This adaptation was widely acclaimed and even won the Tony Award for Best Revival Of A Musical, beating productions of the classic musicals My Fair Lady and Carousel. As a result, Once on This Island has gained the mainstream exposure it richly deserves.

Eastern European Adaptations 

This article has focused on adaptations of Andersen’s stories from the western world, but emphasising American and British films, plays and TV shows means that we often ignore those from other countries. During the second half of the twentieth century, the Communist countries of Eastern Europe provided numerous high-quality adaptations of classic fairy tales. Two of the best live-action adaptations of The Little Mermaid were both released in USSR and Czechoslovakia in 1976. The Russian version – Rusalochka – chooses to emphasise historical realities by rooting the story firmly in the medieval era. Here, the mermaid befriends a tramp called Sulpitus who guides her through the human world and works to protect her from its various dangers. The focus on the kindhearted Sulpitus over the shallow prince and princess allows the film to promote the Communist vision of the virtuous lower classes, but this enhances the story instead of overwhelming it. Meanwhile the Czech adaptation, Mala Morska Vita, went for a more dreamlike approach. Whereas most productions depict the merpeople with tails instead of legs, this one depicts them as blue-haired spirits with flowing blue clothing. Detailed sets and creative designs are used to reinforce the impression that these characters live underwater, and the illusion is quite impressive. Mala Morska Vita focuses primarily on the little mermaid and her family, and this makes the adaptation even more tragic, with an ending so bleak it makes the original seem like the Disney version in comparison. Both adaptations are easy to find online and are a must-watch for Andersen fans who want to see something quite different from the usual mermaid film.

Other Andersen tales have also inspired excellent Eastern European versions. Many of these were made by the prolific Soviet animation studio Soyuzmultfilm, who produced up to 47 films a year during the Communist era. This gigantic repertoire included adaptations of The Little Mermaid, The Wild Swans and The Ugly Duckling, but their most iconic film is Snezhnaya Koroleva , their 1957 interpretation of The Snow Queen. This received an impressive amount of international exposure, and an English-language version was released just two years later. It’s not hard to see why this film transcended the Cold War divide. The visual style was close enough to Disney to feel comforting and familiar to western audiences, but with enough magic and mystery to mark it out as a truly unique product. The legendary Hayao Miyazaki, founder of Studio Ghibli and director of films such as Spirited Away, has cited Snezhnaya Koroleva as an inspiration for his output, stating that it provided “proof of how much love can be invested in the art of making drawings move”. Overall, the work of Soyuzmultfilm and other Eastern European filmmakers demonstrate how Andersen’s stories can be adapted in unique and creative ways all over the world.

Hans Christian Andersen

Most films about Hans Christian Andersen shun historical accuracy in favour of emphasising his status as a legend of the fairy tale genre. This approach was epitomised by this 1952 musical, which began with a prologue stating that it was “a fairy tale about this great spinner of fairy tales.” The great Danny Kaye applies his signature charm and likeability to the role of Andersen, as he leaves his hometown to seek fame and fortune in Copenhagen. There, he pursues his dream of becoming a storyteller whilst trying to win the heart of Doro, a beautiful ballet dancer married to her temperamental director Niels. This film is over 65 years old and showing its age in many ways – the love triangle involving Andersen, Doro and Niels simply does not work in 2018. That said, many of the songs from the movie, such as ‘Inchworm’, ‘The Ugly Duckling’ and ‘Wonderful Copenhagen’, still manage to retain their magic today.

This film inspired a loose West End adaptation in 1974 (long before screen-to-stage adaptations became the norm), which was given the simpler title Hans Andersen. Starring Tommy Steele, this version kept the iconic songs from the film and the basic concept but changed the storyline to make it closer to Andersen’s real-life adventures, adding historical figures such as King Christian and Jenny Lind to the tale (This approach is similar to the recent Broadway adaptation of animated cult hit Anastasia). Hans Andersen enjoyed a successful 9 month run at the London Palladium, and would be revived at this theatre in 1977. However, it is almost entirely forgotten today, whilst the Danny Kaye film retains a significant fanbase through numerous television airings.

The Daydreamer

During the 1950s and 1960s, the animation studio Rankin Bass gained significant popularity with their unusual brand of stop motion animation, making numerous holiday specials such as Rudolph the Red Nosed-Reindeer. For their 1966 film The Daydreamer (the second of three feature-length projects they made in the 1960s), they used their signature style to tell a strange story about Andersen’s childhood. In The Daydreamer, Andersen (simply referred to as Chris in this film) runs away from home in a quest to find the Garden of Paradise, which contains the Tree of Knowledge. During his quest, he encounters characters from several of his future stories, including The Little Mermaid, The Emperor’s New Clothes and Thumbelina. The scenes with Chris and are done in live-action, but characters from Andersen’s works are entirely in stop-motion and Chris becomes a stop-motion character as well when he enters their worlds.

The story is thin and the songs are almost all forgettable, but The Daydreamer is still an interesting curiosity for Andersen fans. The cast includes several Hollywood icons from the early 20^th century, including Tallulah Bankhead, Ed Wynn, Boris Karloff and The Wizard of Oz stars Ray Bolger and Margret Hamilton, as well as 60’s teen stars Paul O’Keefe, Hayley Mills and Patty Duke and famous comedy actors Terry-Thomas and Victor Borge.  However, the stop motion is easily the most impressive aspect of the film, with plenty of time and effort going into depicting the mermaids, moles, giant frogs and piemen using the big-headed puppets and detailed sets which made Rankin-Bass famous. For a protagonist in a children’s film, Chris makes a lot of bad decisions, assisting the crooked tailors from The Emperors New Clothes and abandoning his friends and allies in his quest for knowledge. However, the value of his journey is highlighted by the closing narrative, which states that Andersen’s acknowledgment of human flaws and vulnerabilities is what made his fairytales so iconic. For all the limitations of The Daydreamer, this profound insight demonstrates a clear understanding of Andersen’s appeal and elevates the film significantly.

Hans Christian Andersen – My Life As A Fairytale

Like The Daydreamer and Hans Christian Andersen, this television miniseries from 2003 blends a narrative about Andersen with retellings of his classic stories, demonstrating how he turned his experiences and insecurities into tales which inspired and enchanted millions of readers. However, My Life As A Fairytale also features a lot more about Andersen’s own life story, including his infatuation with famous opera singer Jenny Lind, and his relationship with Charles Dickens (the two were initially friends, but soon fell out with each other). That said, this is in no way an accurate biopic of Andersen. His unrequited love for his patron Edvard Collin is omitted, and there is little to no discussion of the books, plays and poems which Andersen wrote aside from his fairytales. My Life As A Fairytale also features short retellings of Andersen stories including The Little Mermaid, The Nightingale and The Ugly Duckling, which are used to comment on Andersen’s journey from impoverished tailor’s apprentice to literary legend. Keiran Bew plays Andersen, with British thespians such as Hugh Bonneville and Simon Callow appearing in substantial supporting roles. The film is not afraid to address Andersen’s negative features – the retelling of The Little Mermaid here subverts our traditional view of the story by portraying Andersen as the Prince who abandons our Little Mermaid for another woman. Overall, My Life As A Fairytale is generally a rather routine miniseries and probably the weakest work mentioned in this article, but it illustrates the extent to which Andersen’s life story has become thoroughly intertwined with the fairy tales which he created. 

A Very Very Very Dark Matter

Most of the films and musicals mentioned here have adopted a tone of magic and melancholy similar to Andersen’s work. However, the controversial playwright, screenwriter and director Martin McDonagh will be taking a very different approach for his new play A Very Very Very Dark Matter. Fans of McDonagh’s work (he wrote the plays The Pillowman and The Lieutenant of Inishmore and directed the Oscar-winning Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri) know to expect pitch-dark comedy with plenty of foul language and graphic violence. From what little we know about it at the moment, A Very Very Very Dark Matter seems to be based on the premise that Hans Christian Andersen’s stories were actually created by an African woman who he secretly kept imprisoned in his attic. Given that Three Billboards was often criticised for its problematic racial politics, it seems almost foolhardy for McDonagh to create a story with such a controversy-baiting premise, but there is plenty of satirical potential here (expect plenty of commentary on how Andersen and The Brothers Grimm took credit for creating stories which had been told to them by female storytellers), and McDonagh can be trusted to emphasise this in his usual acerbic fashion. McDonagh’s script will be brought to life by an impressive cast, with stage and screen veteran Jim Broadbent playing Andersen, newcomer Johnetta Eula'Mae Ackles as his prisoner Marjory, and Phil Daniels as Charles Dickens. A Very Very Very Dark Matter will begin previews at London’s recently opened Bridge Theatre on October 12^th, and it will run there until the start of 2019. If it proves successful, expect it to be performed all over the world over the coming years…