View source for The Sandman (1991 film)


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{{Use British English|date=May 2015}}
{{Infobox
|bodystyle   = 
|name        = The Sandman
|title       = ''The Sandman''
|titlestyle  = 
|headerstyle = 
|labelstyle  = 
|datastyle   =
|header1 = 
|label1  = Directed by
|data1   = [[Paul Berry (animator)|Paul Berry]]
|header2 = 
|label2  = Production company 
|data2   = Berry, Batty, MacKinnon Productions<br>[[Cosgrove Hall Films|Cosgrove Hall Productions]]
|header3 = 
|label3  = Distributed by
|data3   = [[Channel 4 Television Corporation]] 
|header4 = 
|label4  = Released
|data4   = 1 May 1991
|header5 = 
|label5  = Runtime
|data5   = 9 minutes<ref>[http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/792073/ BFI]</ref>
|header6 = 
|label6  = Language
|data6   = English
|belowstyle = 
|below = 
}}

'''''The Sandman''''' is a 1991 [[stop-motion]] short film, animated and directed by [[Paul Berry (animator)|Paul Berry]]<ref>[https://mubi.com/films/the-sandman MUBI]</ref><ref>[https://www.awn.com/animationworld/keep-it-motion-classic-animation-revisited-sandman Keep it in Motion - Classic Animation Revisted: 'The Sandman'|Animation World Network]</ref> and nominated for an [[Academy Award|Oscar]] for [[Academy Award for Animated Short Film#1990s|Best Animated Short Film]] in 1993.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiWMjGrdZOk Short Film Winners: 1993 Oscars]</ref> The storyline is inspired by [[The Sandman (short story)|E.T.A. Hoffmann's version]] of the European legend of [[The Sandman]].

== Plot ==
Late on a moonlit evening, a young boy is sent up to bed by his mother. He walks through the darkened hallway of his house and ascends the long, narrow flights of stairs alone, becoming increasingly paranoid that something is following him, until he reaches the safety of his bedroom. As he's drifting off to sleep, he sees a face appear in the crescent [[Moon]] outside his window.

At the bottom of the stairs, the [[Sandman]], a monstrous bird-like creature, appears, looking like the face the boy saw. He begins to clamber upstairs, slamming doors and creaking floorboards all the way to let the boy know of its impending presence. Frightened, the boy accidentally knocks over his [[oil lamp]] — alerting the monster to exactly what room he is in. The boy hides under the covers, as a figure opens the door and approaches his bed. It is revealed to be his mother, who retrieves the broken lamp and tucks him in for the night. As he falls asleep, feeling safe once more, the Sandman appears in his room and begins to make noise, trying to rouse him. When the boy finally opens his eyes, the monster blows sand in them and takes something from him, before departing through the bedroom window.

The Sandman returns to his nest on the Moon, where his hungry children are waiting. The Sandman gets out the boy's eyes, which he plucked out, and feeds his young with them.

In the [[post-credits scene]], the eyeless boy, wanders around bumping into unseen people and waving at them. He then looks at the camera, and then it shows that there were others like him, also looking at the camera.

== Style and influence ==
The art direction of ''The Sandman'' was highly influenced by [[German Expressionism]].<ref>[https://moviesonweekends.com/2017/10/30/the-sandman-1992-short-film-review/ The Sandman (1992) – Short Film Review]</ref>

== See also ==
* In 2000, the [[Brothers Quay]] made a film, also called ''[[The Sandman (2000 film)|The Sandman]]'', which follows a similar plot.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*{{IMDb title |id=0105311 |title=The Sandman }}
*{{YouTube|UjgHbRrnjhU |title=''The Sandman'' }}

{{The Sandman (short story)}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sandman (1991 film), The}}
[[Category:1991 films]]
[[Category:1991 animated short films]]
[[Category:British animated short films]]
[[Category:Sandman in film]]
[[Category:Cosgrove Hall Films films]]
[[Category:Animated films without speech]]
[[Category:Films based on The Sandman (short story)]]
[[Category:Films scored by Colin Towns]]
[[Category:British animated horror films]]
[[Category:1991 British films]]
[[Category:Animated films based on works by E. T. A. Hoffmann]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=The Sandman (1991 film)|access_date=2026-03-07}}