DEFA-Studio für Trickfilme

A statue, with outstretched arm pointing “forward,” is unveiled to thunderous applause. Then one day it points the other way. Once again, thunderous applause!

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

Thumbelina is born in a calyx. A bumblebee opens the flower and the little one goes on a journey of discovery. She has to hide from a nubile frog in a nut and lands on a water lily leaf. A fish bites through the stem of the leaf. Thumbelina swims down the stream until she is called to dance by a cockchafer. The dance fails and the beetle pushes her off the leaf into the depths. She falls into a spider's web and onto a dandelion. She sails away with an umbrella of seeds and lands on her calyx again. The autumn storm breaks the flower. Thumbelina finds shelter with a field mouse. There she cares for a sick swallow. The mouse wants to marry Thumbelina off to the mole, but the little girl manages to escape with the help of the swallow. They both fly off to the sunny south.

Meta Morfoss is not only a child with fantasy, she can also transform herself into an angel or crocodile. Often, she gets into strange situations and people around Meta react both negatively and positively.

In ancient China, there is a poet named Lo who lives in the emperor’s palace. While the hardworking people long for peace and happiness, Lo writes hymns in honor of the militant emperor, who is perpetually hungry for conquest. The monarch is pleased by the poet’s words, but the people do not want to hear the hymns praising him anymore. Lo is completely unaware of this and is surprised when the kitchen maid Hsi-Hua refuses to sing his hymns. With her help, Lo learns what the people really want and is able to see how cruel the emperor is.

In the courtyard of a royal castle stands a well from which the residents must fetch their water. The king is very displeased by this; what annoys him most is the farmhand Hans, who appears at the well every day, whistling a cheerful tune. The princess likes the tune and asks Hans to teach it to her. This drives the king’s anger to a fever pitch.

A man waits at the side of the motorway with a tow rope, waiting for a car to tow him. Many, many cars go by without stopping until the driver of a small dilapidated car takes pity on him. The rope is attached. The other end of the rope leads to a pot-hole in the road. Lurking insides the pot-hole is a surprise.

How the human right to freedom, dignity and inviolability are represented in practice - from the Middle Ages to the present day.

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.

An ancient fairy tale tells that Athanga created the world with animals and humans. Since the creatures soon began to quarrel with each other, he decided that from then on, everyone would only live for a short time and then die. This brought much suffering upon the people, but the power of laughter remained with them.

This short animation collage uncovers the financial backing of the Chilean Junta bosses by the US. Screened at the 1976 Oberhausen Int. Film Festival.

Two teenagers bought an audio cassette. They stroll casually through the park, where they can hear a blackbird singing. Back in their room, they sit down in front of the stereo and pop in their cassette – the song of a blackbird.

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.

The very first images in the film set unprecedented standards in East German animated film: a Buñuelean eye that fills the entire screen, real-life sequences of fleeing animals and a sound collage running contrary to what is seen on the screen. This also extends to the protagonist of the film, a head on a foot without a body or arms who pads wearily through the depressing surroundings. Upon seeing various figures in the sky, he begins to copy their movements. To his surprise, he himself manages to grow wings and takes to the skies. But his attempt at flight ends in a sobering manner however, as it is revealed that flying creatures are just restricted in their range.

Little Bear wants to surprise his mother for her birthday with a picture he has painted himself. To avoid being discovered, he sits on the chimney of the house. The smoke that seeps into the kitchen obscures the mother bear's view and a pot breaks. The little bear empties his money box to get a replacement. On the way, he meets his friends playing ball and joins in enthusiastically. The ball bursts in the bear's paws. The little boy spends his money on a new ball. When his friends come back, he tells them what the money was actually meant for. They understand his grief and together they make a new pot, which the baker bakes for them. With flowers, the painted picture and the pot, they wish the mother bear a happy birthday.

The lighthouse keeper Jonathan not only has to restore the old tower, but living together with a lazy tomcat, a nagging goat and the dog Moonlight also causes some problems. Thanks to Jonathan's empathetic help, they all find a way to live together.

The mayor of a medieval town has the forest on a hilltop cleared and builds a lookout tower for his citizens. However, they only use the structure to spy out the nearest wooded hill and immediately head there with their children.

Uli has found an old book in the attic of the Kulturhaus that tells of the exploitation of the peasants by the feudal lords. He tries to imagine how the robber barons would fare in a socialist village. Then two of this type step out of a dusty picture and Uli joins them on their way to the village. There they fail miserably with their overbearing behavior, and even a break-in turns into a failure.

A princess laments for her treasure. The knights Dick and Schick rush off to fetch it. A little bird joins them and they take it with them and defend it.