Playmobil The Movie review.
The best way to criticize a film is to go to the cinema yourself. And that's exactly what I did today. After all the criticisms in the press, I wanted to see with my own eyes if the film really is that bad. And the short answer to that is, with the risk of being declared crazy, NO. I had a great time, the film runs smoothly without any dead moments, the story is good and like all children's films it ends well.
The story starts when Marla has just obtained her passport, and rehearses in her own room to ask her parents to go on a (world)journey. Because she is so busy with that, she is caught by her brother. But because Marla likes her brother, she explains to him why she wants to travel so much, even though her brother doesn't fully understand it. In the evening the children play with their favourite toys (Playmobil) when suddenly the doorbell rings. Unexpectedly, the police are there with the nasty announcement that their parents have died in a traffic accident. The familiar world of both children collapses in one moment.
Four years later, brother and sister unintentionally grew quite apart because Marla had to take care of the housework, and her little world is completely shattered. This comes to a climax when, after an argument, her brother runs away to go out with some friends. On the way to his friends, however, Charlie is attracted by a huge dinosaur on a truck, which is on its way to a toy fair that is under construction. Meanwhile, Marla also finds out where her brother is and they meet each other in the toy fair building, where a huge diorama of Playmobil is under construction. Charlie feels right at home, it reminds him of the nice hours he spent with his sister when they were playing with Playmobil. Marla doesn't like it and wants to go home immediately. Just as the quarrel is settled, the lighthouse in the diorama brings them into the world of Playmobil by magical powers. Here too it appears that they have grown apart, because Charlie feels right at home, and Marla has a lot of trouble to adapt.
For the rest, I don't give away too much about this film. Marla and Charlie quickly loose each other, where Marla does everything in her power to find her brother. She meets people who want to help her, but also discovers that the world of Playmobil is sometimes surprisingly strange. She also discovers that she has changed a lot and that she and her brother have grown apart. But the sudden responsibility for her brother has also made her uncertain. It takes a lot of effort for her to overcome that, but after that she is determined to find her brother again, and to get home safely from this strange world. And that works too!
Returning to the film critics, it's easy to forget that the film is announced as an animated film, but that it starts as an ordinary film. First of all, I would like to praise the casting of brother and sister, who play convincingly as brother and sister in the film. They could really be siblings, with the well-known siblings' quarrels, but also interdependence and affection for each other. Ask any director or film producer: working with children is particularly difficult. But in this film it is well succeeded.
The animation side of this film is excellent. There is a lot of criticism on the movability of the Playmobil dolls, but also in my imagination the klicky's are much more movable than they really are. Every child who plays with Playmobil will be able to confirm that. And film critics who don't understand that apparently never played in their youth or have a lack of imagination. If you judge a children's film, then put yourself in the shoes of a child who looks at the world differently.
One of the supporting roles is Rex Dasher. This delicious parody of James Bond and The Saint certainly deserves its own spin-off!
The world of the good fairy is also modeled with a big wink at Disney World.
I don't share another criticism of the film critics. This film is not comparable to the Lego films. I've played a lot with both in my youth, but Playmobil is essentially something different from Lego. Star Wars and Star Trek are not comparable either, nor is Meccano with Fishertechnik. Each I appreciate, each has his own for and against, but they are not comparable with each other.
Just watch this film out of the eyes of someone who loves Playmobil, or just enjoy watching it. But if you do make comparisons with other toys, then you're wasting time on the fun of watching a film.
Another point of criticism I hear a lot is that the film is an advertising film for Playmobil. Uh, sorry: isn't Lego The Movie, or the TV series about Barbie either so? The pot blames the cauldron for being black?
I give the film 5 stars (5 *****). If it comes out on DVD I will definitely buy it. But I'm afraid this is a film that will do better in DVD sales than in cinemas. It's sad that in the Netherlands there is only one press service (ANP). And if a film critic there is negative about this film, it will be in all the newspapers. Can someone give him a box of Playmobil as a gift?
I discovered two easter eggs (but I'm sure there are more). On Charlie's toy shelf is Buzz Lightyear, and when Marla makes binoculars of a magazine you'll see a drawing of Rex Dasher on the world map.