AN ANIMATED LUNCHEON (1900)
Article 4027 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 9-8-2012
Director unknown
Cast unknown
Country: USA
What it is: Trick film

A couple tries to have dinner at a restaurant, but the food they order turns into living animals.

IMDB lists a plot description that explains the action in some detail; for example, it points out the chickens appear when the diners crack the eggs. Actually, this is pretty useful in following the short; the copies I found on YouTube are in such ratty condition that it is somewhat difficult to make out just what the diners are doing when the chickens appear, for I certainly couldn’t make out any eggs. It’s basically an attempt to tap into the Melies special effects films of the period, but compared to Melies’s work at the time, this one is extremely primitive. Granted, a better print might help.