Fien & Teun: The big animal feast (2021)

Directed by: Matthias Temmermans | 60 minutes | family | Actors: Manuela Rutten, Stijn Mac Gillavry, Suna De Wandeler, Christiaan Koetsier, Gijs Stallinga, Verena Verhoeven, Kelvin Wormgoor, Shauni Kuiper | Original voice cast: Maud Mulder, Robbert van Unnik, Matthias Temmermans, Joris Gootjes, Eva Jonker, Aron Bruisten

A reviewer, or viewer, may consider the following maxim when judging a movie: the more distracted he or she is, the worse the movie. If the thoughts drift elsewhere, it may be due to a lack of emotion, action, or identification. When these pillars of involvement disappear, a film simply falls short. This is of course a rather simplified way of thinking, but in certain genres there is a grain of truth in it. One such type of film is the children’s film. With a specific target group in mind, it is all the more important for a film to be able to bind that group to itself. And no group is more difficult to hold the attention than young children.

When watching ‘Fien and Teun: The big animal party’, the reviewer on duty was therefore accompanied by a toddler of almost three. And to get straight to the point: the toddler in question really liked the film. With a running time of around sixty minutes, the film is just long enough. The story, about the farm children Fien and Teun, is not too much. The two are on the eve of the big animal party, where all the farm animals are in the spotlight. Includes streamers, gifts and cake. But when an unexpected guest, the mischievous pony Stip, enters the scene, things suddenly go wrong. The adventures that Fien and Teun experience afterwards have an educational undertone in a non-committal way. Children learn smoothly about the ins and outs of the farm, where the food on their plates comes from and how to deal with the various farm animals.

The experiences are always concluded with a catchy song. That rhythmic alternation, between story and music, works perfectly. Whenever the watching toddler threatens to lose her attention, she is awakened again by a cheerful and danceable tune. She starts playfully moving and humming along. The colorful sets and the always smiling costumes of the two protagonists complete the joy. As a result, ‘Fien and Teun: The Great Animal Party’, a derivative of the television series of the same name, appeals enormously to the imagination of the novice film viewer. Farm life gives a clear and recognizable picture of what the toddler knows and understands about the world around him. From the typical animal friends on the farm to the universal appeal of apple pie. Although the young toddler somewhat loses the thread of the film towards the end, father is acutely summoned afterwards to turn the film on again.