On Sunday 2 April, dive into the 1950s and 1960s with advertising films from Joop Geesink’s Dollywood. In its heyday, this Dutch animation studio was globally active and highly successful for its often sophisticated art direction and use of state-of-the-art animation techniques. The selection of stop-motion films in this program is now beautifully preserved by Eye Filmmuseum.

Piccolo, Saxo and Company is a gem of Dutch film history. The film is shot in stunning Technicolor and the Philips sound system with the catchy music by French Dutch composer André Popp carries the matchless stop-motion performance of the instruments from the symphony orchestra.

Dollywood had many international clients. For US television, for instance, they produced cheerful sing-along commercials for Beech-nut chewing gum or Ballantine beer. And the humor was never far away, as in the primitive Heinz ketchup commercial or the hilarious Italian anti-dandruff advert.

Unique to the Netherlands, for example, is the production of the 1953 stereoscopic animated film Star of the Screen, an advertising film for Philips projectors. Although the original film copies have not been fully preserved, for the first time, thanks to digital techniques, it is now possible to actually experience this film in 3D during Kaboom Animation Festival 2023!

Joop Geesink, the founder of the studio, was the driving force behind it with his mercantile spirit, creativity, and international network. But within the studio worked dozens of professionals who all contributed in their own way to the exceptional quality of the films. Together with three guests, using historical film footage, photos, and original puppets, we will take a look behind the scenes of this extraordinary Dutch animation studio and discuss what was involved in preserving the vast amount of films.

With Louise Geesink, daughter of Dollywood founder Joop Geesink, Arie den Draak, a great connoisseur of the Dollywood oeuvre, and Leenke Ripmeester, curator at the Eye Filmmuseum.