The Pied Piper (1933 film)

The 1933 film The Pied Piper is a black-and-white animated short film directed by Wilfred Jackson and produced by Walt Disney Productions. It is part of the Silly Symphony series. The film is a direct adaptation of the classic German legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin.

The plot follows the traditional story. The town of Hamelin is overrun with rats. Desperate, the town council hires a colorful piper to rid them of the vermin. The Piper plays his magical pipe, and the rats are lured into the Weser River and drown. However, when the Piper seeks his promised payment, the greedy townsfolk refuse to pay the agreed-upon sum.

In revenge, the Piper plays his pipe again, this time enchanting all the children of Hamelin. He leads them away from the town and into a mountain, never to be seen again. The film is notable for its animation quality for the time and its fairly faithful, though somewhat simplified, retelling of the grim folktale. The film's ending, unlike some interpretations of the story, does not offer any happy resolution or return of the children. It maintains the dark, cautionary tone of the original legend.