Das singende, klingende Bäumchen (2016)

At the beginning, the prince meets a young woman and a short, ill-tempered man at the market. His brief conversations with both of them do not go particularly well, but he falls in love with the princess’s face. At her father’s request, she is supposed to marry a prince of suitable rank, but out of pride she rejects all her suitors. The prince from the market also courts her. She demands that he bring her an enchanted little tree that will begin to sing and ring when true love is present. He agrees and, after a long search, finds the little tree. But since it is guarded by an evil forest spirit whom he had already met at the market, the prince has to make a deal with him in order to bring the tree to the princess. When the tree does not begin to sing and ring, the princess drives the prince away. He has to realize that she is hard-hearted and arrogant and cannot love. However, he keeps his word and henceforth serves the forest spirit. He can be released only if he manages to split ten loads of wood. A spell makes this impossible. The greedy princess is determined to have the little tree and sends her father to retrieve it. He too meets the forest spirit, who gives him the tree on the condition that he bring him the first living creature to greet him upon his return. The king agrees because he is sure his dog will be the first to meet him. But when he returns to the castle with the tree, he is unexpectedly greeted by the impatient princess. Reluctantly, she goes to the forest spirit, where she meets a prince who is not at all pleased with the snobbish princess. Although he still has his human form, he behaves more like a bear, and the princess has lost her beauty, for the forest spirit has enchanted them both. His realm is bordered by an invisible wall, so no one can get in or out. The princess, who has not yet realized that she is on her own there and that no one will wait on her, behaves very rudely toward the prince. Only gradually does she become aware of how ugly she is, and she is glad she has her little dog with her, since it does not care what its mistress looks like. Just as she is beginning to get along a little with the prince, the forest spirit tries to stop this. But all he does is bring the two of them closer together. The princess learns to be grateful, kind, and modest, and step by step regains her former beauty. The curse is broken, and the princess can return to the castle. When she hears the little tree singing and ringing in the castle garden, she realizes that she truly loves the prince. The prince, too, is freed from the forest spirit’s spell, and the two become a happy couple.