Voodoo in Harlem(1938)

Voodoo in Harlem is an animated short that springs from a animator's overturned inkwell during a fierce storm. As wind batters his studio, ink blotches on scattered paper transform into wild African warriors and energetic Harlem jitterbugs, dancing and moving with supernatural life. The figures cavort across the sheets in a surreal display of movement and chaos. When dawn breaks and the storm subsides, the inky creatures vanish as mysteriously as they appeared, retreating back into the inkwell. The maid enters the workroom to find only smudged paper and scattered ink—no trace of the nocturnal magic that unfolded. A playful blend of animation and folklore, the film captures the visual inventiveness and cultural energy of early animation.