Piet Pirate and the Mysterious Mummy (2010)

Directed by: Bart van Leemputten | 30 minutes | adventure, family, short film | Actors: Peter Vandevelde, Anke Helsen, Dirk Bosschaert, Dirk van Vooren, Carry Tefsen, Noureddine Farihi

Enjoying the creeps can be learned at a young age. With ‘Piet Pirate and the mysterious mummy’ you provide your toddler with an excellent basis to give him money for a cinema ticket for ‘Saw XVII’ (2020) later when he is sixteen. After the success of ‘Piet Pirate and the Pumpkin King’ and ‘Piet Piraat and the Scottish Ghost’, Studio 100 made a new exciting adventure in 2010 that fits perfectly with the autumn days in which it is launched: ‘Piet Piraat and the mysterious mummy’.

This thirty-minute special (because it shouldn’t actually be called a film) is about a sarcophagus, which is in the museum of Piet’s aunt Cleo (small role by Carry Tefsen). Whether Piet can not bring the old museum piece to Egypt, where it actually belongs? Aunt Cleo’s assistant Osiris (Noureddine Farihi) warns the crew of Piet’s pirate ship: the sarcophagus is said to contain a mummy and the many ships that have tried to transport the thing have all mysteriously disappeared. But, said Aunt Cleo, luckily Osiris managed to rescue and return the sarcophagus every time. Piet and his crew are in for a return trip to Egypt and take the job. Once on the ship, it turns out that too little provisions have been put in, so the four pirates have to go on rations. Gourmet Berend Bokkenpap is of course not happy with that. However, he devises a ruse, so that he can still eat well. But that evening a mysterious hand wrapped in cloth puts something in Stien Struis’ drink… Stien falls asleep and can’t keep watch. What is going on at De Scheve Schuit? Is there really a mummy in the sarcophagus or is there another explanation?

‘Piet Pirate and the mysterious mummy’ is great entertainment for the Piet Pirate fan, but it is not enough for the watching parents, brothers or sisters. The story is even too thin for half an hour and the decoration is very low budget. You can hardly speak of acting performances: the regular cast members seem to only have to put on their costumes and they are who they have to introduce. Actually a bit like Santa Claus. If the Good Saint will put this DVD (also with about 45 minutes of short films in which Piet Piraat tells the story of the ‘gruesome adventures’ books with the help of the drawings known to the fans) into the shoe of a Piet Piraat enthusiast, success is assured. And that’s what it’s all about.