Director: Ali Samadi Ahadi
Starring: 
Distributor: Rialto Films
Runtime: 85 mins. Reviewed in Jun 2021
Reviewer: Fr Peter Malone msc

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Rating notes: Mild crude humour and sense of threat

Once again, for this kind of animation film for younger audiences, the opinions of film critics with analysis is rather irrelevant as to whether the children enjoy the film on not. It is based on a popular children’s novel by German author and playwright, Gerdt von Bassewitz.

At the end of the film, the two central characters, Peter (who loathes being called Petey) and his younger sister, Anne, wake up in their bedroom and both agree that they have had weird dreams. (But, of course, they actually lived through their dreams!) “Weird’ may be the view of the children – and is probably the view of the adults who watch this extraordinary variation on fairytales. On the other hand, the publicity for the film refers to the journey as “magical”. The synopsis takes this much further and describes it as “enchanting”. That would not be the reaction of this reviewer except if “enchanting” is interpreted in the sense of powerful magicians imposing spells.

As the film opens, Peter finds Anne absolutely annoying (and he is not wrong). Anne, lively and feisty, considers Peter her “idiot brother”. He is bullied at school but she stands up for him. His dream is to be an astronaut and go to the moon.

At the same time, there is little subplot about beetles, enchantment, spells, a tree uprooted and going to the moon, the beetle losing one arm as well as his wife. He is determined to get back to the moon if only he can find three humans to help him.

We certainly then enter a world of enchantment, a fairy Queen (who could do with a course on management as well as empathy) gets involved trying to help, but Anne is abducted by the grim moon man and his henchman and trapped with some insects. (And that is only the beginning of the complication). Peter and the beetle are joined by the Sandman (the one who puts people to sleep) and a whole cohort of Nature Spirits. And a giant polar bear transports Peter and his group, leaping through space and clouds, to the moon.

And, all kinds of shenanigans, conflicts, pratfalls, magic, crises involving rescuing and, the beetle restoring his arm, Peter and his sense of achievement.

But, all in all, it seems that this is a film for the littlies audience rather than even the older pre-teens, and not for the teens. So much colour, so much movement, so many complications, not necessary to follow all the details the plot but for the littlies to be swept up by it all.

Peter Malone msc