Back to Movies
Animation
The Birth of the Robot
Year: 1936
Runtime: 6 min
Type: Movie
Genre: Animation
Overview
This experiment was a “prestige advertisement” for Shell Motor Oil. As conventional animation became dominated by Walt Disney, many European filmmakers turned to puppets as an alternative, and Lye enlisted the help of avant-garde friends such as Humphrey Jennings and John Banting to make the amusing puppets. Exploring the still-complex color process, which involved the combination of three separate images, Lye creates such a vivid storm scene that reviewers hailed it as “proof that the color film has entered a new stage.” The music is Holst’s The Planets. - Harvard Film Archive
Streaming Tips
- If the stream doesn't load, try switching to a different server.
- For best experience, use a modern browser like Chrome or Firefox.
- Disable ad-blockers if you experience playback issues.
- Wait 10-15 seconds for the stream to buffer.
Watch Party
Comments
Please sign in to comment and earn PirateCoins!