Madeline (1952)

The tiniest of the twelve young girls under the tutelage of their devoted Mmme. Clavell is also the most mischievous. She likes playing with mice, teasing the tiger at the zoo and winding up their minder. Then one night, the lady awakens to the sounds of the young “Madeline” complaining of a pain. The doctor is called, she is whisked off to hospital and when they visit her next day she is proudly displaying an appendix scar! That night, the poor old teacher is once again awoken in the middle of the night by eleven girls all declaring in tandem that they, too, want… It’s a lovely hand-drawn animation that marries a charming synchronicity as their legs and bodies all move in tandem whilst the are still some little idiosyncrasies for us to spot with their eyes and their smiles. Set against a backdrop of the changing seasons and a Parisian skyline and with a jolly, rhyming, storytelling it’s really quite good fun.