Little Dolphin Werewolf (2011)

Directed by: Joram Lürsen | 95 minutes | family | Actors: Ole Kroes, Kim van Kooten, Remko Vrijdag, Trudy Labij, Bianca Krijgsman, Joop Keesmaat, Maas Bronkhuyzen, Lupa Ranti

The couple in front of whose door the little child Dolfje was abandoned, despite the fact that they already have a son, Timmie, still has room and love enough for a second son. The blond, bespectacled boy is without a doubt lovingly accepted into the Vriends family. Timmie and Dolfje love each other. They attend the same school, situated in a beautiful building. When Dolfje is bullied, Timmie stands up for his younger brother. It’s the day before Dolfje’s seventh birthday. He suddenly wakes up at a few minutes before twelve and suddenly has an irresistible urge to look at the (full) moon. Then it happens: Dolfje gets itchy everywhere, and hair suddenly grows in places where he normally has no hair! He tears out of his pajama jacket and then we see: he has become a wolf! Timmie wakes up to the crying in the bedroom next to him and soon realizes what’s going on. But before he can stop his brother, he has already jumped out the window. On the hunt for food!

The next morning, Timmie can barely cover up all evidence of Dolfje’s nocturnal romp from the party committee in the form of their parents standing at the bedroom door. Little Dolf appears to be able to remember it, but he didn’t like it very much, especially when he realized he ate a chicken alive! Timmie thinks it’s cool, a werewolf as a brother, but Dolfje continues to struggle with it – for a large part of the film. It doesn’t help, of course, when he hears his mother shout that she wishes everything was ‘normal’.

Ole Kroes, who plays the title role, is an endearing boy, with his blond hair and innocent face he makes the hearts of the audience melt with ease. He gives his character so much charm that you like to condone his imperfect acting. As a werewolf, he is anything but monstrous: this is due to the lack of the pointed snout and the sharp teeth (which he will use more and more in human form), so that he looks more like a sweet monkey with a cuddly fur that keeps him warm . Great choice! How he moves (using CGI) through the nighttime streets of the idyllic Dutch village is comical.

A fun and important role is reserved for Maas Bronkhuyzen, who plays Dolfje’s brother Timmie. Kim van Kooten and Remko Vrijdag are very convincing as parents and Trudy Labij portrays neighbor Krijtjes exactly in the right way: never over the top: she has just enough suspicion and snideness in her look not to become a caricature. Lupa Ranti plays the girl Dolfje is in love with, Noura and she is not inferior to the protagonist in cuteness. After all, Nick Geest plays the bully of the movie, the bully Nico. He succeeds well in getting the blood under your nails and Dolfje’s revenge gives a pleasant kind of satisfaction, even for adult viewers. In addition, great care has been taken in the decoration of the film. Although the locations are limited to the school, the house, the garden and the street where the family lives and the park where Dolfje meets another family member, their appearance fits well with Van Loon’s books. Dolfje’s house, and especially the kitchen, exudes a cozy atmosphere, which immediately puts you in a cheerful mood.

The emphasis in the film is on ‘being different’ and that this is of course positive. Not only is Dolfje an odd man out with his monthly transformation, papa Vriends is also rather strange, with his crazy outfits. That is a nice message to give to the (young) viewers (adults already know this, right?). Joram Lürsen does it again after the Christmas hit ‘The Secret’ (2010): ‘Dolfje Weerwolfje’ is a warm and sweet film, which everyone – young and old – will enjoy with a big smile.