THE ADVENTURES OF DR. DOLITTLE: CANNIBAL LAND (1928)
aka The Adventures of Dr. Dolittle, Dr. Dolittle und seine Tiere – Die Affenbrucke
Article 4828 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 5-21-2015
Directed by Lotte Reiniger
No cast
Country: Germany
What it is: Silhouette animation fantasy

Dr. Dolittle arrives in Africa to treat a monkey plague, but is captured and imprisoned by a tribe of cannibals for trespassing on their land. Can he rely on his animal friends to help him escape?

Apparently, the three Dr. Dolittle shorts Lotte Reiniger made have an overriding story arc involving the monkey plague, and wouldn’t you know they would come up on my hunt list in reverse order? Still, each episode apparently has a story arc of its own, so they can be enjoyed individually as well. This one has the same charms as the one I saw yesterday, and in some ways, it’s even a bit more impressive; there are lots of paper figures to coordinate in this one, especially during the climactic chase scene. There are definite limitations to silhouette-style animation, but once again the story flows so nicely and the animation is so smooth that you barely notice those limitations.