DEFA-Studio für Trickfilme

With the young Friedrich Engel’s letters and drawings from the years between 1838 and 1842, a unique cinematic portrait is created. The viewer thus gets to know the young Engels personally, learning about the significant moments of his development from a bourgeois-liberal upbringing to the theoretical partner of Karl Marx. Later be awarded the Gold Dove at the International Leipzig Documentary and Short Film Week.

The first animated feature film made in East Germany. The people of Shilda were once welcome at the courts of princes all over the world, but back at the Shilda castle work remained and had to be carried out by the women of the town. The women grew tired of this and called their men back. After many foolish decisions, the townspeople were victims of their own devices, and eventually set fire to their own city. The fire destroyed everything, and the citizens of Shilda fled out into the world.

A joint production by animators of the USSR and the GDR based on children's drawings from the time of the Revolution and drawings by children of the 1970s.

This short puppet-animated film criticizes American toy companies for their militaristic toys and marketing which fosters politically aggressive attitudes. Catalogues and building sets made by the American toy companies Aurora and Lindberg report on the ways they are misused for imperialist manipulation. The film particularly emphasizes the rehabilitation and propagation of the German imperialist military tradition, which is seen as responsible for destroying humanistic viewpoints and replacing them with perverted and sadistic attitudes towards humanity.

After a long wait, a king and queen have a daughter. As there are not enough golden plates, only twelve wise women can be invited to the christening. The thirteenth is so offended by this that she appears uninvited and wishes the child dead. Fortunately, the twelfth fairy has not yet made her wish and is able to alleviate the curse: Sleeping Beauty then stabs herself with a spindle on her fifteenth birthday and falls into a hundred-year sleep, from which a king's son releases her with a kiss.

Cartoon based on letters and drawings of children of Soviet Union and German Democratic Republic.

The factories pollute the air so much that every living creature in town must wear a gas mask if they want to survive.

The rooster Schreihals works diligently, while the two mice Singeschön and Springeschön prefer to play and dance all day long. When the rooster finds an ear of wheat, it is the clever mice who urge him to make grain out of it, grind it, and bake a cake with the flour. Will they get a piece of the cake with their clever advice?

It's Gretel's birthday. Not only Kasper, but all his friends prepare surprises. The devil causes confusion as he tries to steal Kasper's book of inventions.

Is he the dream prince? As each frog climbs out of the fountain, the princess hopes it will be the one, the love of her life. But no sooner has one been flung against the wall than it turns out to be pretty much a washout. Will the frogman be able to live up to the empty promise of the frogs? … The Truth About the Frog Prince was produced by the DEFA Studio for Animation Films in Dresden, where director Sieglinde Hamacher worked for 35 years, joining soon after its founding in 1955.

The journeyman tailor Kasper has a hard time. His mistress is constantly keeping him busy with chores. When the brownies show up in town and take over all the craftsmen's work, Kasper can no longer get any sewing done. That's fine with the master. He now often meets up with his colleagues to sing a quartet, but Kasper finally becomes the master's pet. When this nosy and bossy person ambushes the brownies with peas, the good Kasper tries to protect the little gnomes from harm. He is unsuccessful, and the brownies leave the town for good, badly demolished. Now they have to do the work themselves again. The masters are very sad, but the choir singing helps them get over the worst. Kasper is happy, he can pick up the needle again and become a capable journeyman tailor.

A wise old man teaches a boy the art of building. The boy develops outstanding skills. He builds the most magnificent palaces, but something inside him atrophies. The flip side of humanity, the shadow, grows beyond him.

A man and his donkey rescue someone from a crevice, who repays the man with gold and the donkey with sugar. Later, they hear another cry for help and proceed to a second rescue.

The fumes emanating from a traffic jam make everybody, and every animal, cough.

When the old miller dies, he leaves the mill to the eldest son, the donkey to the second eldest and a tomcat to the youngest. The tomcat wants to repay his master's friendship and help him. He has his boots made, gains access to the royal castle and catches the partridges the king wants. He impersonates the miller's boy Hans as "Count of the Mill", tricks him into wearing elegant clothes and brings him together with the king and the princess. He succeeds in overcoming the evil sorcerer and winning a magnificent castle for Hans. Hans finally becomes king and his cat first minister.

Kunz, the poor day laborer who is richly blessed with children, discovers the secret of the cave in the Simeliberg while collecting wood. Robbers keep their looted treasures there. Kunz takes some of it from time to time so that he can put a little more on the table for his family. Kunz's rich, stingy and suspicious neighbor discovers the secret of the treasure cave. His greed blinds him so much that he runs into his misfortune.

The devil is trapped in Kasper's fridge, but it is stolen by robbers and the devil escapes. He steals Kasper's car and flees. Kasper pursues him to hell and has a friendly conversation with the devil's grandmother. She decides that Kasper will get his car back and the devil will be punished with house arrest.

A little frog jumps out of the pond and wants to see the world. He is excited about new discoveries, not yet knowing about the danger of the stork. He almost gets eaten by the stork, but the frog saves himself at the last minute.

Farmer Wurzel is unhappy because his work is not bringing him the prosperity he had hoped for. Nor can he expect his daughter to marry rich, unfortunately she loves the poor fishmonger Kaspar. In order to make a lot of money, the farmer would even get involved with the devil...

A young architect, under the guidance of an old teacher, builds a beautiful building. Wanting to try his hand at a big business, he leaves the master teacher and accepts the invitation of a rich ruler. Fate returns the experienced hero to his origins.