Believed to be the first German puppet animation feature-length film.
This was the second German animated feature film, following "The Adventures of Prince Achmed" (1926). "The Seven Ravens" was the only German animated feature produced during the Nazi Germany period (1933-1945).
The film is based on the fairy tale "The Seven Ravens" (1812) by the Brothers Grimm. The Brothers reworked an older, oral narrative with variations found in Germany, Greece, and a few other European countries. In the tale, a father curses his sons to shape-shift into ravens, because he thinks that they abandoned him in an hour of need. Years later, the boys' younger sister goes on a quest to locate her missing brothers and restore them to human form.
Most versions of this tale mention three ravens, not seven. The number 7 is thought to have been added by the Brothers Grimm during their reworking of the tale. The film followed their lead.
This animated feature preceded "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" by a few weeks. "The Seven Ravens" was released on December 2, 1937, while "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" was released on December 21, 1937.