Pelle and the Water Thieves-Pelle Politibil går i vannet (2009)

Directed by: Rasmus A. Sivertsen | 74 minutes | animation, comedy, family | Dutch voice cast: Plien van Bennekom, Alexander de Bruijn, Jannemien Cnossen, Wiebe Pier Cnossen, Huub Dikstaal, Jan Elbertse, Sander de Heer, Maria Lindes, Ruben Lursen, Rob van de Meeberg, Reinder van der Naalt, Jan Nonhof, Fin Poncin, Leo Richardson, Daan van Rijssel, Birgit Schuurman, Hans Somers, Marlies Somers, Hymke de Vries, Donna Vrijhof, Ingeborg Wieten | Original voice cast: Robert Stoltenberg, Pernille Sørensen, Gard B. Eidsvold, Fredrik Steen, Bjørn Sundquist

A Volkswagen Beetle remains one of the most appealing cars out there. Give him a face and you’ve already won half, no Lightning McQueen can compete with that. In ‘Pelle and the water thieves’, the second Norwegian feature film about the brave little police car Pelle (but the first to reach the Dutch market), such an endearing Volkswagen Beetle plays the leading role. The character Pelle was created by a Norwegian policeman who served in such a car. This not only resulted in a number of children’s books, but a TV series was also based on the figure. The brave Pelle is immensely popular in Norway. It is not surprising that an animation film was made about the experiences of the car in the village of Bodø.

Right at the beginning of the film, Pelle can already show his courage. During a severe storm, in which the inhabitants of the town of Bodø can barely hold on to a lamppost to avoid being blown away, an electricity cable breaks and the town is without power. Pelle ignores warnings and ensures that a new cable is in the right place. Just as everyone can breathe a sigh of relief, our hero is hit by a falling power cable and receives a major electric shock. It looks like Pelle won’t survive the accident, but his friend and police officer Uncle Richard doesn’t have to mourn for long: Pelle miraculously no longer needs petrol, but has become an electric vehicle!

However, this does not mean that Pelle can continue to do his usual work. The chief sends him on sick leave, and Uncle Richard now has to drive around in a Hummer, a much bigger, sturdier car. It all has to do with the arrival of the crown princess to the village. The police chief does not think he can drive the princess around in a small car.

Pelle may be on leave, but he can’t help but put his detective skills to the test. When he notices that something strange is going on at the lake where the village is located, he investigates. It doesn’t take long before he finds out with the help of his girlfriend Oda the Otter that a couple of water thieves are active. Not only do they steal the water, they also plan to sell it to the villagers in expensive designer bottles. That’s just double theft! Pelle has to go to great lengths to convince Uncle Richard and the chief that the two gentlemen are really up to no good…

It is not easy to impress with an animated film these days. Players like Disney/Pixar and Dreamworks are well ahead of smaller studios. A simple story is often no longer sufficient: the spoiled audience prefers a film that both young and adult viewers can enjoy. The level of CGI animation is very high and it is very difficult to match. With films for the very young film audience, however, it’s no problem if everything is a notch: the story should be uncomplicated and the animations don’t have to be worked out to the last detail: as long as the film entertains. The Norwegian film studio Neofilm (of which ‘Pelle and the water thieves’ is the first production) succeeds without a doubt: the story in all its simplicity is attractive enough for the small viewers; the characters are charming and funny and the Norwegian setting is special, in which a lot of attention has been paid to the water – which of course plays an important role – as faithfully as possible. The friendship between Pelle and Oda has been nicely developed and there is also an ecological message hidden in it: that (clean) water and clean air are indispensable for humans and animals. Fortunately, this message is not dragged in by the hair, but just belongs neatly in the story.

‘Pelle and the Water Thieves’ may not compete with major Hollywood productions, but the film has its heart in the right place and children in the target audience will certainly enjoy it. And if you do treat your offspring to a movie, you might as well take a bicycle or public transport.