Hans Christian Andersen's The Emperor's New Clothes
Hans Christian Andersen's The Emperor's New Clothes is a 50-minute American animated TV special that aired on ABC on February 21, 1972. It uses Rankin/Bass's stop-motion animation, called Animagic, with some live-action footage shot in Denmark.
Danny Kaye voices Marmaduke, the narrator and main character. The cast also includes Cyril Ritchard, Imogene Coca, Allen Swift and Bob McFadden. Five songs were written for the show by Maury Laws and Jules Bass: "Come Along with Me," "Clothes Make the Man," "The Tailor's Song," "Creation," and "All You Need Is Money to Be Rich."
The program was meant as a pilot for a possible series called The Enchanted World of Danny Kaye, but no further specials were produced.
Story in simple terms:
Marmaduke and his sidekick Mufti hear that a big prize will go to the tailor who makes clothes for the emperor. Marmaduke meets the emperor’s daughter, Princess Jane, and learns about the evil jester Jasper, who is trying to take control. Jasper overpays and uses flattery to influence the emperor. Marmaduke and his friends pretend to weave a magical suit that only smart people can see. While the emperor can’t admit he can’t see it, Marmaduke’s plan unfolds with fake coins and clever tricks. The emperor is made to parade in front of everyone wearing nothing, and the crowd realizes the truth. Jasper is banished, and Busky (an orphan boy) helps reveal that Jane loves Marmaduke. The emperor follows a wedding procession naked, and a cannon fires real gold coins to help the poor. Marmaduke and Jane share a kiss as the story ends.
Behind the scenes: Kaye recorded the soundtrack in New York City, live-action segments were filmed in Aarhus, Denmark, and the stop-motion animation was produced in Tokyo. When Kaye visited the studio, the Japanese animators asked to see his performance style so they could animate the characters to match his movements.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 08:06 (CET).