“Cut! How Lotte Reiniger and a Pair of Scissors Revolutionized Animation” by C.E. Winters; illustrated by Matt Schu
Review by John Mullarkey, youth services library assistant at the Hillsborough Library
Lotte Reiniger’s name does not create images in one’s mind like that of Walt Disney, Max Fleischer, Chuck Jones or William Hanna/Joseph Barbera but, like George Mieles, it should be included under the topic of pioneers in early animation. I had never heard of Lotte Reiniger prior to reading this wonderful picture book biography about her life and career. Lotte’s passion was filmmaking. This was back when the trade was in its early stages. To be more specific, without giving too much away, Lotte was an artist living in Germany and designer of paper silhouettes. Her gift was magical – she could make anything out of paper and scissors. When combined with her filmmaking prowess, it turned her artwork into motion – using what we would later call stop-motion animation. This technique allowed her to actually make animated films based on classic fairy tales.
Her story takes some fascinating turns, including being a successful woman in a male dominated field, and her development of the multiplane camera – allowing the user to shoot the action from above, giving depth to the “action” — a practice and technique soon to be commonplace by animation studios in the “Golden Age” of animation (late 1920s-1940s). Of course, like so many artists, writers, and people of science living in Europe at the time, Lotte’s life and work were turned upside down by World War II. Much of her work in films was “lost” even though she continued to work after the war.
This is a great book on a multitude of levels and will appeal to a wide variety of readers. The story is unique, well-researched and well-written. It is a great book to read aloud – to ALL ages. It serves as an example of narrative nonfiction; it is great in a STEM setting – particularly for young people interested in filmmaking and animation. The artwork embellishes the story by using darker and richer hues (it gives it a classic film look). It should also be mentioned that like so many great nonfiction picture books currently available, there are endnotes, a timeline, and source information that can inspire readers to further explore the work of Lotte Reiniger.