Cologne, 1926: The world premiere of "The Miraculous Mandarin", a pantomime ballet composed by Béla Bartók, and libretto by Menyhért (Melchior) Lengyel. The violent story based on the prostitute, Mimi, and Bartók's dissonant and aggressive music are very attractive and famous today, but for the audience in 1926 it was unacceptable. The performance caused a scandal and was subsequently banned by Mayor of Cologne, Konrad Adenauer, a future Chancellor of Germany. The score opens with the violent chaos of urban street life in the big city. That inspired me to start my story with Mimi's body covered by small cars. If I were making the animated film "The Miraculous Mandarin" I would start with dancing Mimi and those fast moving small cars, which follow the curves of her moving body. I'm sure it would go perfectly with Bartók's opening music. You can see another 8 scenes from that hypothetical film (The strongest for me is the moment when the Mandarin enters the room; Bartók's description of Mandarin's first steps is for me unbelievable suggestive and unforgettable).