BEWITCHED MATCHES (1913)
Article 4558 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 6-10-2014
Directed by Emile Cohl
Cast unknown
Country: USA
What it is: Animated fantasy

Three girls seeking to have their fortunes told invite a witch over. When the girls’ father offends the witch, she puts a hex on him and his matches.

Despite the semblance of a plot here, the purpose of this short is primarily to have an extended sequence of abstract animation involving the manipulation of matches. They turn into a horse, a windmill, a skeleton… you get the picture. Like Cohl’s animated shorts in general, this is fairly amusing if you’re in the mood for it.