Casper and Emma on the hunt for the treasure – Karsten og Petra på skattejakt (2018)

Directed by: Aurora Gossé, Arne Lindtner Næss | 74 minutes | family | Oliver Dahl, Alba Ørbech-Nilssen, Markus Tønseth, Janne Formoe, Anna Celine Bredal, Ivar Nørve, Hilde Lyrån, Porfirio Gutierrez, Sigrun Enge

The Norwegian writers Tor Åge Bringsværd and Anne G. Holt could not have imagined that the preschool children Karsten and Petra they created in the early 1990s still keep tens of thousands of their peers glued to the tube in much of Europe. From books it went to a television series and since 2013 feature films have been released continuously. Under the name Casper and Emma, ​​the characters have also gained a foothold in the Netherlands. Casper and Emma experience very recognizable adventures for toddlers in rock-solid films as we are used to from Scandinavians. After the first film, ‘Casper en Emma – Best friends’ from 2013, the young duo went on winter sports (2014), on safari (2015) and on holiday in their own country (2017). They also celebrated Christmas together (2014) and made a theater performance (2017). Between the acts, the filmmakers here and there dare to touch on serious matters that children can also have to deal with: themes such as divorce, illness and death are not shunned. However, the emphasis always remains on the fantasy world of children, the adventures they experience and their mutual friendship.

As in the previous two films, ‘Casper and Emma on the Treasure Hunt’ (2018) stars the very young Oliver Dahl and Alba Ørbech-Nilssen. In this film they go on holiday with Emma’s grandfather (Ivar Nørve) and his friend Esther (Sigrun Enge) to a beautiful island in southern Norway, where they stay in grandfather’s beach house. Casper’s parents (Hilde Lyrån and Markus Tønseth) and stubborn teenage sister Siri (Anna Celine Bredal) are also on their way to the island, as is Emma’s mother (Janne Formoe). Before they get there, Casper and Emma have fun swimming, catching crabs and sailing a boat. Grandpa spent a lot of time on the island in his youth and knows a lot about it. Then the toddlers find buried in the sand an old box containing a mysterious rebus. Emma’s grandfather turns out to have put it in the ground sixty years ago, together with his best friend Alfred. Since that holiday in question, he has never seen Alfred again, which he finds very unfortunate. It’s hard for the kids to imagine not seeing or speaking to your best friend for so long and hoping for Grandpa that he’ll get the chance to meet Alfred again. The mysterious box on the beach turns out to be the starting point of an exciting treasure hunt, which takes Casper and Emma to countless beautiful places on the island in search of new clues. Where will the quest lead them?

The main theme in this film is friendship. With friends you experience the most beautiful adventures, make memories and share your experiences. Casper and Emma have each other, but also their stuffed animals Welpje and Mrs. Rabbit, who – of course only if there are no adults around – come to life and actually experience the adventures. Friendship is the greatest treasure, that’s what this film is all about and as an experienced (adult) viewer you can see from miles away that it will end there. Incidentally, in a film such as this one, which primarily focuses on children between the ages of four and nine, that does not matter at all. The sub-theme around the adolescent Sirius, a teenager that emerged cautiously in ‘Casper and Emma make theatre’, is further elaborated here. She even gets a boyfriend, but that puts Casper and Emma (whom she had to watch out for) in trouble. Although it all remains very innocent and sweet, because if the film series about the two boyfriends is anything, then it is wonderfully naive and clumsy. The films also have a nice, nostalgic vibe, because they bring back memories of a time we all went through and experiences we all recognize. With that in mind, you take the film’s limitations, such as the poor dubbing, the predictability and the thin story for granted.