A fun little stop-motion short for kids about capital punishment.George Pal films ranked
Cinemas
Bartholomew Cubbins has SO MANY HATS. Every time he removes one in the presence of the King, it is replaced magically with another. This enrages the King, who brings him to trial, and to the ultimate sentence.
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Cast & crew
1What people say
cute!!! i love puppets!!! kingcels seething over hatchads
A solid introduction to both the dollhouse charms of George Pal's Puppetoons, as well as the hard limits of how far his technique could go in terms of emotionally appealing storytelling. In short, the facial animation here is barely connected to the narrative at all, and while there's something adorable in the way heads and eyes snap in exaggerated ways on these very tangible forms, it's also a little bit grotesque. Still, it's a breezy summary of Dr. Seuss's story, one that pretty much entirely ignores his illustrations and I suspect that's for the best. Not so lightweight that it can't get in a good moment of horrifying tension when Bartholomew Cubbins is nearly executed, too.
Common questions
What is The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins about?+
The film follows a young boy named Bartholomew who attempts to show respect to a king, but discovers his hat is magically replaced every time he removes it, leading to an absurd conflict.
Who directed The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins?+
It was directed by George Pal in 1943, a pioneer known for his distinctive stop-motion animation work called Puppetoons.
Has the film won any awards?+
The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Short Film.
