Rotkäppchen (1962)

Little Red Riding Hood lives with her father, a hunter, and his mother in a cottage in the forest. His friends are the hare and the bear. The wolf and the fox are his enemies. Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother also lives in the forest. One day, when Little Red Riding Hood is home alone because her parents have gone to the market, the wolf and the fox want to eat the family’s chickens. The fox disguises himself as a poor hunter and wins Little Red Riding Hood’s trust. When she realizes she has been tricked, she drives the fox away. When he returns to the wolf empty-handed, the wolf decides to eat Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother. Little Red Riding Hood is visited by the little hare, who had overheard the conversation between the fox and the wolf and warns his friend. Nevertheless, Little Red Riding Hood insists on setting off to visit her grandmother and bring her milk, cake, and snuff. She has to promise her mother not to stray from the path and to come straight home; the little hare is supposed to watch over her. On the way, they meet the bear, who accompanies them. But when he starts helping himself to the milk intended for the grandmother, the little hare has to turn back and fetch more. Meanwhile, the fox finds out that Little Red Riding Hood is traveling through the forest. The wolf and the fox hatch a plan: the fox pretends to be injured. He claims that he was hurt in a fight with the wolf, who is lying in a cave, also badly injured. He tells the bear about a tree with a large supply of honey; he tells Little Red Riding Hood about a place in the forest where she can gather mushrooms for her grandmother. There, the wolf, who has been lying in wait, surprises Little Red Riding Hood, but she manages to drive him away. The fox sprinkles chalk powder over the wolf’s fur so that he looks like a dog and can sneak into the grandmother’s house. The little hare sets off to get Little Red Riding Hood’s parents to help. While Little Red Riding Hood continues on her way, the wolf puts the plan into action and eats the grandmother. When Little Red Riding Hood arrives at her grandmother’s house, she wonders why her grandmother suddenly has such big ears and such big eyes. When the girl remarks on her grandmother’s big mouth, the wolf swallows her too. Little Red Riding Hood’s parents arrive and rescue the grandmother and Little Red Riding Hood from the wolf’s belly. He is tied up and locked in a cage; Little Red Riding Hood promises her mother never to stray from the path again. The bear, who wants to punish the fox for his lies, finds that he has escaped.