The Flame is a main villain featured in the 1938 Silly Symphony short The Moth and the Flame.
Background[]
The Flame is an anthropomorphic fire with a human-like face. Often seen on the wick of the candle, he would occasionally attract the Girl Moth so he could fall in love with her. However, to this, it is then known that the Flame causes a harmful effect for moths in an attempt to burn them, such as the case of the Boy Moth who was burnt while trying to save his interest. As is common of fire and water being unable to mix together, the Flame is also weak against water, which any drop of water can extinguish him.
Personality[]
The Flame is shown to be constantly attracted to the Girl Moth, often attempting to grab her and fall in love with her, unaware that he has fiery hands, which could burn the Moth. Any object that is not water which he touches causes the object to be absorbed with fire, such as the insurance policy paper, a pair of glasses, or even a mask. Additionally, he even becomes stronger when he absorbs things that produce fire such as landing onto a box of matches, causing his fire to become even stronger. Although he is weak to water, he is capable of resisting small amounts whether there is not enough to extinguish him. He is also capable of getting stronger if he absorbs benzine. He became completely overwhelmed by the large amount of water after the Boy Moth and a large swarm of moths work together to put out the fire, leading the fire to become completely extinguished.
Role in the short[]
The Flame is first seen trying to get the Girl Moth's attention as as she gets attracted to him, the Girl Moth dodges his fiery hands, just as she spins around the Flame, causing the candle's wax to melt. She then gestures and dances to get the Flame's attention, albeit burning objects within the shop from a pair of glasses and a mask, as the Girl Moth realizes the Flame's true actions. As he continues chasing her, only for the Moth to roll down a fire insurance policy projection. However, the Flame manages to rise again, causing the Moth to fight him with a match, only to find out that the tip of the match began to catch on fire, leaving the Girl Moth in danger as she finds herself caught in a spider web. The Boy Moth defends her from the Flame, just as the latter burns him, although he manages to extinguish a part of the fire he got while trying to save the Girl Moth. Seeing a glass of water, the Boy Moth pushes it to drop the water onto the Flame. Thinking he extinguished the Flame, he manages to get up and the Boy Moth attempts to extinguish him with benzine, only for the fire to become stronger. The Boy Moth summons a large swarm of moths to grab the bagpipes from a bagpipe player mannequin, using certain objects that produce water to extinguish the fire, putting him out for good, followed by the Boy Moth being kissed by the Girl Moth.
Trivia[]
- The Flame's face is a caricature of the late Clark Gable.
- The long animation sequence featuring the Flame pursuing the Girl Moth was jointly animated by Ed Love and John McManus respectively; Love animated the basic shape and movement of the character with McManus embellishing the fire effects on the character, making him an advanced character to animate using fire effects in traditional animation.[1]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series (page 196)