The Birth of the Robot (1936)
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
Director: Len Lye
Genre: Animation
Runtime: 6 min
Release Date: October 1, 1936
Screenplay
Music: Jack Ellitt, Gustav Holst
Cinematography: Alex Strasser
Country: United Kingdom
Language: No Language
Original Language: en
Keywords
commercial, stop motion, short film, experimental
Similar Movies
More Films by Director: Len Lye
More Films in Genre: Animation
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is The Birth of the Robot about?
- 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
- Who directed The Birth of the Robot?
- The Birth of the Robot was directed by Len Lye.
- How long is The Birth of the Robot?
- The Birth of the Robot has a runtime of 6m (6 minutes).
- What genre is The Birth of the Robot?
- The Birth of the Robot is a Animation film.
- Where was The Birth of the Robot produced?
- The Birth of the Robot was produced in United Kingdom.