Hans Christian Andersen1952Hans Christian Andersen
1952
Hans, a cobbler in a small Danish town, tells stories to children until the schoolmaster drives him away. In Copenhagen he becomes infatuated with a married ballerina while his tales start to find an audience.
The default: films the whole family can watch together; any scary or intense moments for the littlest viewers are flagged in the Context Notes.
Why it’s here
A cobbler's stories and songs ("Thumbelina," "The Ugly Duckling," "Wonderful Copenhagen") honor kindness to children and imagination. A fairy tale, not a biography.
Context notes
For parents, before you press play.
Hans is infatuated with a married ballerina and mistakes her husband's stage slaps for cruelty; he realizes his mistake and returns home, so the infatuation is corrected. There's a brief arrest; nothing else of note.
Hans Christian Andersen (1952)
Discussion questions
When the credits end, go around the room. Each person gives the film a score out of ten and says why.
- Which of Hans's stories was your favorite?
- Why did Hans think the ballerina needed rescuing? Was he right?
- What did Peter do for Hans?
- What does "The Ugly Duckling" mean?
Content advisory
IMDb parents guide (via WebSearch): no profanity or drinking; a brief arrest; theatrical slapping between the ballet couple; a pipe.
Best edition
The disc comes first.
Hans Christian Andersen Blu-ray (Warner Archive Collection)
Blu-ray · June 23, 2020
Edition link coming soon.
Listing on Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)Coming later
Where to stream
Streaming services are not listed yet. When they are, this note stays secondary to the disc.