Hansel and Gretel: An Opera Fantasy Hansel and Gretel: An Opera Fantasy Hansel and Gretel is a 1954 stop motion animated theatrical feature film released by RKO. The film is based on Engelbert Humperdinck's opera "Hänsel und Gretel", and incorporates music and songs from the opera. It was the first American feature-length animated film not made by Disney since 1941's "Mr. Bug Goes to Town" and the first American feature-length animated film not made with traditional animation. It was released on October 10, 1954 in New York City without a distributor. Producer Michael Myerberg released the film himself. Based on the positive reviews and box office
Opera in German German opera. Weber completely eliminated spoken dialogue, producing a "through-composed" work where the distinction between recitative and aria is becoming blurred. Its lessons would not be lost on future composers, including Richard Wagner. Weber's most important successor in the field of Romantic opera was Heinrich Marschner, who further explored the Gothic and the supernatural in works such as "Der Vampyr" (1828) and "Hans Heiling" (1833). On the other hand, it was with comic opera that Albert Lortzing scored his biggest successes. The popularity of pieces such as "Zar und Zimmermann" continues in Germany today, though Lortzing's operas are rarely staged