(Review originally written at 20 September 2005)
This is a great movie for kids. The story is very simple and doesn't also make sense but therefor is perfectly easy and fun to follow for the young ones. Also cat lovers will simply adore this movie, the cats play quite a prominent role in the movie and the trained cats are mixed in well with the good and convincing looking puppet-doubles.
The movie is very childish, so childless-adults beware! This probably isn't the right movie for you to watch. I can babble on about the technical aspects and acting in this movie but it don't think that's completely relevant for this movie. This movie is obviously made for young children, who don't care about any of the technical aspects of a movie. So parents simply stop reading now and just buy/rent this movie for your children already! They will have fun and be entertained by it.
It isn't really a movie were an awful lot is wrong with, it's just a movie that is too simple in every way, to be considered a great and memorable movie. I also have to say that I wasn't exactly fond of the musical score by Peter Vermeersch. It's this typical simple musical score, were I can't quite put my finger on, or describe it to you. To put it short and simple (just like this movie), it was just terrible to listen to.
The cast consists out of many well known Dutch actors and a famous voice cast for the cats. Pierre Bokma is on of the best Dutch actors at the moment and he plays a great and enjoyable villain role in this movie. This was Carice van Houten's big breakthrough movie and she is currently filming "Zwartboek" with Paul Verhoeven, in which she plays the main role. The voice cast has some recognizable voices in it, especially Wim T. Schippers, who is the Dutch voice for Kermit the Frog and Ernie for the Dutch "Sesame Street" and who believe it or not, actually used the live in the same street as I did, here in Groningen. And no, with the same street I don't mean that I lived in Sesame Street...
I haven't read the book this movie is based on, written by Annie M.G. Schmidt, so unfortunately I can't comment on whether or not this movie is loyal enough, to the book its story and atmosphere.
It isn't a great or remarkable movie but children will simply be entertained by it and that's the most important thing of course.
6/10
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