Hänsel und Gretel

AT HOME
Hansel and Gretel live in a poor hut with their parents on the edge of the forest. The children are alone at home. Instead of doing the chores they were told to do and helping their father tie a broom, they start playing. The mother reprimands them and spills the milk for dinner. As punishment, the mother sends Hansel and Gretel into the forest to gather berries. The father returns with a rich dinner and misses the children. The parents worry that they might have met the wicked witch on the Ilsenstein and set off in search for her.

IN THE FOREST
The children progress deeper and deeper into the forest and get close to the Ilsenstein. In the darkness they can no longer find their way home. Sleep overcomes them and the sandman promises them sweet dreams. The children pray the evening blessing and fall asleep protected by 14 angels.

THE WITCH HOUSE
In the morning, the little dew man wakes the children. They discover a gingerbread house and begin to nibble on it. But a wicked witch lives in the house. She lures them in with her delicacies. When the children enter the witch house, she shows her true face. She fattened Hansel in a cage to eat him as a feast. Gretel is told to heat the oven. With a trick, she manages to push the witch into the oven herself. As a result, all the children who have been turned into gingerbread by the witch are redeemed. Accompanied by their jubilant singing, the parents embrace their children.