

The Little Match Girl
Synopsis
A small girl makes her living selling matches on the streets of New York. It's winter, and the hustling crowds at best ignore her, and some are outright rude. She takes shelter and, to try to stave off the cold a bit, lights a match. It gets blown out; this happens again, then on the third try, she falls into a dream. In this dream, cherubs attend her, she gets a new doll, then a new dress. The cherubs put her on a throne. Then a storm comes, and she goes toward a candle. That candle goes out, and we see that back in the real world, so did her match and her life. An angel comes along and takes her soul.
Release History & Theatrical Window
November 5, 1937
Wide Cinema Exhibition
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Arthur Davis, Sid Marcus
- Screenplay & Story
- Cal Howard, Sid Marcus
- Original Score
- Joe DeNat
- Original Title
- The Little Match Girl
- Country of Origin
- United States of America
- Spoken Languages
- No Language
- Runtime
- 8m
- Production Studios
- Columbia Pictures
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Arthur Davis, Sid Marcus
Cal Howard, Sid Marcus
Joe DeNat
Charles Mintz
Department Leadership Roster
Arthur Davis
Director
Sid Marcus
Director
Charles Mintz
Producer
Joe DeNat
Original Music Composer
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for The Little Match Girl.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring The Little Match Girl.
list4
Watched
Used for movie tracker
Christmas Movies
Christmas films from Wikipedia's list and Wikidata genre tagging.
Christmas
Christmas
Oscar Best Shorts Nominees
Complete list of Oscar Best Shorts Nominees
Oscars Animated Short Film [1931-2023] : Winners & Nominees
Similar Titles to The Little Match Girl
Movies sharing stylistic DNA, tone, and thematic storytelling
More Like The Little Match Girl
Recommended titles matching themes, cast, and genres.












Frequently Asked Questions About The Little Match Girl
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is The Little Match Girl about?
A small girl makes her living selling matches on the streets of New York. It's winter, and the hustling crowds at best ignore her, and some are outright rude. She takes shelter and, to try to stave off the cold a bit, lights a match. It gets blown out; this happens again, then on the third try, she falls into a dream. In this dream, cherubs attend her, she gets a new doll, then a new dress. The cherubs put her on a throne. Then a storm comes, and she goes toward a candle. That candle goes out, and we see that back in the real world, so did her match and her life. An angel comes along and takes her soul.
Who directed The Little Match Girl?
The Little Match Girl was directed by Arthur Davis, Sid Marcus.
Who stars in The Little Match Girl?
The principal cast of The Little Match Girl includes Not specified.
When was The Little Match Girl released and how long is it?
The Little Match Girl was released in 1937 with a total runtime of 8m.
Who composed the musical score for The Little Match Girl?
The original motion picture soundtrack for The Little Match Girl was composed by Joe DeNat.



















