Pan-dane to tamago-hime

Mr.Dough and the Egg Princess is a 12 minute short made for the Studio Ghibli museum. It draws inspiration from european fairy-tales (Baba Yaga, Humpty-Dumpty, Cinderella, grinding bones to make bread, etc.) as well as visually referencing several 15th-16th century flemish paintings including Bruegel's 'The Harvesters'.

It weaves these together to create an amusing romp following the eponymous Egg Princess' escape from Baba Yaga with a medieval harvest for a backdrop. Miyazaki's films often feature pastoral settings and Bruegel's painting and an apparent interest in bread production seems to have been the jumping off point for his imagination here.

The pacing is well balanced, and the story is easy to follow even while being wordless (no subtitles for the kiddos or cringe-worthy dubbing). It is zany without being frenetic as so many modern kids shows/films are and the 'Folia' theme is seamlessly paired to the animation making the short reminiscent of (and favourably compared to) something out of Disney's Fantasia (1940).

It is among my son's favourites and a worthwhile watch. Hopefully one day the museum shorts will be collected and given a wider release.