Der Meister und die Puppen. Kurt Weiler und seine Konzeption vom Animationsfilm

Volker Petzold

Authors

Volker Petzold

Keywords:

puppets/dolls in cinema, animation, fairy tale, puppet and stage design

Abstract

In 1954, the director of animated movies, Kurt Weiler (1921-2016), published some views on puppet animation (stop motion) which represented a life program for him. He particularly emphasized the stylization and typification of the puppet as well as abstraction and condensation in the design. The puppet should under no circumstances compete with humans and the puppet film should not function as a miniature form of the feature film. The preceding thoughts and the consequences of these principles, which Weiler realized in his films between 1960 and 1970, are outlined in this article.

Author Biography

Volker Petzold

Dr. oec. Studied chemistry and business administration at the Technical University of Merseburg and philosophy/aesthetics at the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena. From 1976 to 1984 scientific assistant at the Köthen College of Engineering, then permanently employed at the Federal Secretariat of the Berlin Federation of Culture and responsible for film club work. In 1991 he worked as deputy editor-in-chief at the German television station "Deutscher Fernsehfunk". Since 1993 freelance publication and project work, among others at the FilmFestival Cottbus and at the film festival for children and young audience SCHLINGEL Chemnitz. Various publications, including on the history of the film club movement of the GDR, on the history of the television sandman in East and West and on animated film. Since 2016 board member of DIAF e.V. Dresden (German Institute for Animated Film).”