Hanne Hastrup

Everyone knows the animated heroine Cirkeline and her mousy friends Ingolf and Frederik. For generations they have been enjoyed by children and their parents. But few people know the woman who invented Cirkeline. Her name is Hanne Hastrup, and like many other women, she lost her place in the spotlight to a man – but in this case, to her own husband, artist and animator Jannik Hastrup. They found each other and began collaborating on the famous Cirkeline films, and now they sit side by side on a sofa and tell the story of the creation of the icon in the red dress with the black spots.

An adventurous Danish sailor falls in love with the beautiful French singer Christine in this romantic adventure. Chased by soldiers, he takes cover under beds and petticoats in order to escape capture. Several dance scenes highlight this musical comedy that uses a limited amount of sight gags.

Hanne Hastrup created Cirkeline and her universe. She also drew everything, while Jannik Hastrup animated and produced it. Together, they wrote all the stories. They were produced with support from DR TV B&U department by Mogens Vemmer from 1968 to 1970.