festive cheer: silent night? silent film
it’s a *Bug’s Life* Christmas...
One of the earliest Christmas movies is the 1913 short “The Insects’ Christmas,” by Russian animation pioneer Wladyslaw Starewicz. This stop-motion short, in which a Santa decoration climbs out of a Christmas tree and tromps into the forest to celebrate with bugs, is beyond delightful. Starewicz brought out such personality in his little characters: wat…