Alice Guy: The Fairy of the Cabbages (1896)

Alice Guy: The Fairy of the Cabbages (1896) is one of the earliest examples of a narrative fiction film. The film is only one minute long but contains a story that used film techniques still used today. The film follows a fairy who arrives in a garden and uses her magic to bring a number of baby dolls to life from cabbages. The dolls then proceed to dance in the garden. 

The film is notable for its use of special effects and its innovative use of editing. The film begins with a shot of a garden, before the fairy suddenly appears, flying in from offscreen. This is followed by scenes of the fairy performing her magic and the dolls playing in the garden. These scenes are surprisingly effective and make for an engaging viewing experience. 

The Cabbage Fairy is also notable for its technical achievements. For example, it is one of the

 earliest uses of camera movement, with the camera moving across the garden to follow the fairy as she moves around. I liked this because it made you feel way more involved with what the fairy was doing as if you were moving throughout the cabbage patch. This technique can be found in today's films during action shots or when the camera shows characters walking around a room.  It is also one of the earliest uses of stop-motion animation, with the dolls appearing to move on their own. Overall, The Cabbage Fairy is a great film that displays an impressive level of technical skill for being made during the late 1800s.