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This Disney adaptation of Mary Mapes Dodge's children's classic was lensed in Sweden with an all-Swedish cast. In 1860s Holland, young Hans Brinker (Rony Zeander) is compelled to drop out of school when his father (Erik Strandmark) is incapacitated in an accident. Forced to become the family's breadwinner, Hans seeks out work in the big city of Amsterdam. Hoping to make a great deal of money in a hurry to finance his father's operation, Hans enters the city's annual skating race--but it doesn't look as though he'll be able to beat his great rival Ludwig Schimmel (Lennart Kiefbom). Written and directed by Norman Foster, Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates debuted on January 7 and 14, 1962, as a two-part Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color TV entry; the film was later released theatrically in Europe.