| The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep | |
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Real Name |
Unknown |
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First Appearance |
The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep (April 7, 1845) |
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Created by |
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Origin[]
The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep are two porcelain figurines, one which looks like a shepherdess and one which looks like a chimney sweep. The two figurines are in love with each other but another figurine, who claims to be the shepherdess' grandfather, wants her to marry a hideous carved wooden figure. To save her from her fate, the chimney sweep tells the shepherdess that he can help her escape by leading her up the chimney and out into the world beyond.
In the 1952 animated film The Curious Adventures of Mr. Wonderbird, the Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep are life-size images from paintings rather than small porcelain figures. The Chinaman is replaced by a classical statue and the wooden carving of a satyr is replaced by the image from a self-portrait of a villainous king. When the image comes to life, he disposes of the real king and takes his place. The king in the film is a much more developed villain than the satyr is in the story and his chief adversary is a brave and intelligent bird named Mr. Wonderbird who comes to the aid of the Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep whenever they are in trouble.
Only the early scene in the secret apartment is based on the original story , while the rest of the movie focuses much more on the king and Mr. Wonderbird. In both tales, the Chinaman/statue breaks, and the duo escape up the chimney, and delight in celestial bodies, but in Andersen's tale the shepherdess is afraid of the wide world and the duo return; this is echoed in the movie where the statue predicts that they will return.
The film ends with Mr. Wonderbird taking a photo of the newly-wed shepherdess and chimney sweep along with the king's dog, all of Wonderbird's sons, and others after the king is vanquished by his own automaton.
Gallery[]
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of the shepherdess and chimney sweep published before January 1, 1931 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances include:
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep (1845)
Public Domain Animated Appearances[]
- The Curious Adventures of Mr. Wonderbird (1952)
Notes[]
- The original version of La Bergère et le Ramoneur from 1952 was disowned by Paul Grimault and the original English dub fell into the public domain in the United States. The updated version from 1980 (reworked under the title of Le Roi et l'Oiseau, or The King and the Mockingbird) and its new English dub are still copyrighted, however (including in its home country, France).