Review of Heidi

Introduction

This 2005 animated film will be a big hit with girls aged between 4 and 10. It`s a great tale with just the right amount of schmaltz and drama, pitched at a level that girls of Heidi`s age will relate to.

The original story was first published in 1880 and ranks as one of Switzerland`s greatest exports (after chocolate and cuckoo clocks) with more than 100 million copies sold. It`s been translated from its original German into more than 50 languages and has been filmed more than a dozen times, Heidi being played most famously by Shirley Temple and Jane Seymour amongst others.

It`s also been animated more than once before (with a poorly animated version doing the bargain bins for a while as well as a Manga style anime from Japan). But this is the first European version - although Director Alan Simpson cut his teeth at both Hanna Barbara and Disney and frankly it shows. Simpson is perhaps best known for his previously popular `Last Polar Bears`.

Forgive me if you`ve heard this one before but here`s a brief synopsis. Heidi is a classic children`s story about a young orphan, full of spirit and love who just wants to get a place that she can call home. Being dragged from pillar to post by a very mercenary Auntie (verging on wicked), she is eventually unceremoniously dumped on her mountain dwelling Granddad who also has no wish to look after her. But she soon captures his heart, and she falls in love with the simple Mountain life, caring for the goats, and spending time with her newfound friend Peter, a young mountain shepherd.

However, her Auntie discovers that she can earn money by `renting` Heidi out as a companion to a rich and molly-coddled invalid girl of Heidi`s age in the City. She is taken from her idyllic life in the mountains and put into a stuffy formal environment where the invalids Guardian looks down on Heidi and sees her as a most unsuitable companion. However, Heidi`s unpretentious natural charm wins over her friend. When Heidi becomes so homesick that she has to leave, her friend decides to visit her in the mountains. In the meantime, Heidi`s wicked Aunty learns of Heidi`s departure as well as a payment made to Heidi by the grateful father of the invalid, and she is determined to steal the money back.

So back in the loving arms of her Grandpa, as well as in the company of her shepherd friend and pet goats, Heidi helps her friend get out of her wheelchair and walk again. The climax of the film (predictably) shows the wicked Auntie get her well-deserved come-uppance.

Video

As a recent animation, this has been directly digitally mastered and is therefore virtually flawless.

Audio

A nice soundtrack that seems to cocoon the viewer with lush strings and orchestration, as well as punch out all the right spot fx in all the right places. Whilst the visual might look like a poor man`s tribute to Disney, the soundtrack seems to be a no expense spared affair with good choice of voice-talent too.

Features

There`s a really nice `storyboard to screen` feature that allows you to view the movie with picture in picture comparison between the original boards and the finished deal. You can even flick between the two to enlarge which you would like to be most prominent. Whilst this is a feature that quickly bored my daughter stupid I suspect that this is Director Alan Simpson trying to give something out for new students of the art.

Conclusion

Though this is yet another in a long line of television and film adaptations of the popular children`s book, it really is very good and will delight girls between the ages of 5 and 10 - without boring you into the bargain.

It`s a curiously fast-moving story that seemed to be utterly compelling for my younger daughter who will probably watch this again and again.

The artwork and animation may be derivative of Disney, without quite the animated detail that we`ve learnt to expect from that studio, though it`s nicely and imaginatively rendered.
Whilst the `storyboard to screen` feature might not appeal to the children for whom this film was surely intended, it`s a neat idea that comes as an unexpected bonus.

Whilst this may not represent an essential purchase, it looks to retail at a very reasonable price and is therefore highly recommended.