The Birth of the Robot (1936)

The Birth of the Robot

1936

Animation

Synopsis

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

Credits

Director

Len Lye

Crew

Humphrey Jennings (Color Designer)

Alex Strasser (Director of Photography)

Gustav Holst (Music)

Jack Ellitt (Music)

John Banting (Prop Designer)

C.H. David (Writer)