Super Miss (2018)

Directed by: Martijn Smits | 84 minutes | family | Actors: Diewertje Dir, Hassan Slaby, Harry Piekema, Carly Wijs, Maarten Wansink, Jeevan Dhanpat, Josephine Nollen, Lucas Reijnders, Bente Wallenburg, Ilse Warringa, Huub Smit, Lukas Dijkema, Florien Ferdinandus, Oren Schrijver, Thijs van Aken, Liz Vergeer , Vajen van den Bosch

What would it be like to be able to talk to animals? Almost every child (when seeing his or her pet) will have had that thought at one time or another. This fact forms the basis of “Superjuffie”, a popular children’s book series by writer Janneke Schotveld. And as with other book series such as “Dummie de Mummy” and “Dolfje Weerwolfje” this success is now followed by a film, which broadly follows the story of the first part.

This shows how teacher Josje becomes Super Miss, who can only talk to animals when an animal is in need. She must combine her newfound powers with her new job at an elementary school run by the strict Master Mustache. The students Bo, Mimoun, Toby and Mila have discovered her secret and help her as much as possible. And that while the director of the zoo has mysteriously disappeared. In short, enough ingredients for a children’s film. But do all those ingredients also make a tasty dish? In the case of ‘Super Miss’ usually yes.

The film is clearly aimed at younger children with somewhat over-the-top characters such as Meester Mustache and Edna Engelenhaar and for them the film will be easy to follow. This is partly due to the step-by-step introduction of all subplots. It must first become clear that Miss Josje has a new job. check. Then how she gets her powers. check. The students must also discover it. check. And finally the “real” story can begin, in which director Jan disappears while the evil Edna Engelenhaar appears on the scene. check. Finishing the checklist creates an overview, but also ensures that the film feels a bit full. There are a lot of boxes to tick.

In addition, there is another point of criticism and that is that the acting sometimes seems a bit below par. The younger actors in particular sometimes seem to read more than they actually act, but that is something that will especially stand out to the older viewer and will not be a problem for the younger viewers. But these are two minor flaws for a film that also looks great. It has a nice pace and the story is easy to follow. And it is also fun to see (and hear) animals talk. That is an extra touch that makes ‘Superjuffie’ a tasty dish.