Icelandic title: Jólaskórinn
One of five shorts produced for a Christmas Special entitled ‘The Snow-Children’s Christmas Hour’ that aired on the Nordic Public Broadcasters at Christmas 2022. GunHil participated with the Yule-Shoe as well as animating the linking chapters with the Christmas Children. The Special was a Co-Production with Qvisten Animation of Oslo.
The Yule Shoe Synopsis
A young child experiences the Icelandic tradition of getting a present in their shoe for the first time. Meanwhile the yule lad responsible for bringing the present has a harrowing adventure.
The Icelandic Santa’s are thirteen living in the mountains with their troll mother named Grýla and the vicious Yule-Cat that supposedly eats children that don’t get any new piece of clothing for Christmas. They come one by one to town, the first one 13 days before and then the last one the day before Christmas day. Today they bring small gifts to children who leave their shoe in their window for the night. This is if they have behaved in the course of the day. If they have not, they risk to get a potato in their shoe.
The original Yule-lands were unkind and pranksters and bearing names like Bown Licker, Door Slammer, Skyr Glutton and Sausage Swiper indicate their nature of stealing food. The Yule-Shoe tells the story of Stekkjastaur (e. Sheep Shagger) who arrives the first of them, 13 days before Christmas.
Below is the first minute of the film. Contact us if you want to see the entire short!
