Rumpelstiltskin (1940 film)

Rumpelstiltskin is a 1940 American live-action/animated short film produced by the Ub Iwerks studio and distributed by Paramount Pictures as part of their "Puppetoon" series. This film is a retelling of the classic fairy tale "Rumpelstiltskin" featuring stop-motion animation of wooden puppets created and directed by Iwerks. The story follows the familiar narrative of a miller's daughter who must spin straw into gold for the king, and the mischievous dwarf Rumpelstiltskin who offers her help in exchange for a promise. When she later becomes queen and cannot fulfill her promise, Rumpelstiltskin returns to claim what is owed. The queen is given the opportunity to guess his name, and upon discovering it, Rumpelstiltskin vanishes in a fit of rage. The film is notable for its use of stop-motion puppetry and Iwerks' signature animation style.