I have trouble voting on this one...
is the acting off? yes. Is the animated parts crude in quality? many times yes. is it charming as hell? YES! This is certainly just one of those movies that shouldn't work. And for most people out there in the world I have trouble imagining that this film would come out as anything but a trippy b-flick. But for the intended audience, especially those that remember Beppe as the legend of Swedish television children's stories, this is pure nostalgia I am sure.
Me then? Well as I'm born in 85 I haven't got that exact connection with the guy, but then again... Most domestic children's movies over here on the telly was reruns from the 70s and 80s anyways so I am one of those last few that watched public service films without being abnormal.
No, the reason for me to pick up this DVD at the local library was more about a dormant homesickness. And for that it gets a big plus, as it is shot in the province of Jämtland. And seeing the landscape just made me feel good.
The plot then. When Beppe is going to put his son Jens to bed for the night, a strange journey begins. An animated fellow, named Dunderklumpen, has kidnapped some brought-to-life puppets and a mysterious treasure chest. Jens and the baby goat takes up the pursuit while daddy Beppe and his friend, the bumblebee with a sweettoth, on their trail.
They meet several weird animated figures and a lot of singing and dancing ensues to fill out the basically thin plot. Everything except some live-action moments are animated by another Swedish legend, Per Åhlin. And among the voice-cast we hear people like Gösta Ekman as En Dum En (a dumb one) and the likes in the Swedish soundtrack.
It's a slow moving and trivial adventure padded out with singing and dancing and wonderful characters in the typical jamska dialect. It's crude, yes... and it has a gap in the audience between age 5 and 20 that won't get it at all even in the native language. But for everyone else, the ones that have the right mindset for it, it's a wonderful adventure for those who get into the whole thing.
I give it an 8 as it isn't for everyone and the execution is sometimes overtly dodgy. But don't let that fool you. Try it out! You might even like it. And come over here and have a visit while your'e at it!
