Plop becomes gnome king (2012)

Directed by: Gert-Jan Booy | 78 minutes | family | Actors: Walter de Donder, Agnes de Nul, Aimé Anthoni, Chris Cauwenberghs, Rob de Nijs, Staf Coppens, Winston Post, Bas Muijs, Willy Sommers, Luc Steeno, Ini Massez, Jits van Belle, Gert Dupont

Children get a lesson in honesty in Kabouter Plop’s ninth cinema adventure, ‘Plop becomes gnome king’. When Plop and Klus find a beautiful purple plume on a walk on their way to the palace of the king, they do not yet know what it means. It turns out to be the special successor plume, which the king hands out to his successor. Plop and Klus want to bring Plopkoeken to the king, but when they arrive at the palace they find a deeply saddened household. The king has just died, so there is no need for Plop’s cakes. Unfinished business, the two friends want to return. But then the Gnome Colonel (played by Rob de Nijs) sees that Plop is wearing the plume on his hat. The unsuspecting gnome baker is suddenly crowned king. This is to the great joy of Klus, because he likes all that pampering.

Meanwhile, the viewers have long seen what happened to the real crown prince, Prince Flip. After falling from a tree, which he had climbed, when he wanted to grab the blown away feather, he was hit by an acorn. Flip has lost his memory. However, the young heir to the throne has been lovingly taken care of by a pink girl troll, who is overjoyed that she finally has a boyfriend to care for and play with. However, it takes a long time for Flip’s memory to return…

At the royal palace, Plop makes every effort to get used to his new life. The tasks that he has to perform as a gnome king are a bit heavy for him. Archery, memorizing speeches, cutting ribbons and royal morning gymnastics, he really dislikes it. When there are also problems in the kingdom (picnic baskets are stolen all the time), Plop realizes that he really doesn’t want to be king at all. In fact, he knows all too well that it is unfair that he and his friends inhabit the royal palace and that he pretends to be something other than himself. Plop goes in search of the real king of gnomeland.

‘Plop Becomes Gnome King’ is a mixture of fun finds (the listening ladies in waiting chattered to Chatter; the lackeys who do everything they can to get Lui to sleep) and less successful ideas (Lilly, the pink troll, who comes out of a parody on Sesame Street could have run away). Except for Lilly, the film looks neat and the cast acts properly. The innocent grub for whom this film is intended will feast on the adventure, in which everything, as it should, ends up on its feet again and nobody, absolutely nobody, has any harm in his or her own way. And there is no word of a lie.