Die geheimnisvolle Minusch

December 2001. Amidst the noise of the other novel adaptations (Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Discovery of Heaven) comes a simple, loveable, heart-warming story of a cat that turned into a young lady.

Based on the famous children's book by Annie M.G. Schmidt, the movie tells of a young lady Minoes who takes shelter at Tibbe's house. Tibbe is a shy reporter on the verge of getting fired, because he is too afraid to go up to people to get any news. But Minoes turns out to be a big help. She still speaks with cats and in this way she hears about all the things happening in town. She tells tibbe the news and in return he lets her stay at his room. Things get complicated as Minoes and Tibbe find out about an evil plan of one of the town's most fore-standing men. But with help of the cats and Tibbe's neighbour-girl Bibi, they are too good a team to be beaten.

The story is one thing, but there is more to enjoy. The overall feeling of a small-town community comes through well. The characters are clearly drawn-out, the situations are simple and the world-events are fare away. People care about the fish-car that got crashed and a pot of golden coins found in the cemetary.

In that environment we get to know Minoes, played by Carice van Houten. She puts the problems and enjoyments of being a young lady with cat-qualities convincingly to the screen. She climbs roofs, is fond of fish and is terrified of even the smallest dog. Throughout the movie she more and more finds a balance between being human and cat at the same time. And that is the most important theme of the movie, being happy with your self and standing up for that. Tibbe, the reporter, has to overcome his shyness to stand up to the evil plans of mr. Ellemeet and convince the townspeople of those evil plans. But fortunately he has Minoes, Bibi and bunch of cats to back him up. Tibbe, played by comedian Theo Maassen, is fun to watch and really makes you feel for his problems.

And there is more, like the talking cats that all have different personalities, all the other actors that do great jobs, the typically dutch look and feel of the movie etc. But above all Minoes shows us the heart-warming qualities and timelessness of a well-made, old-fashioned, simple story. Treat yourself and take your kids or somebody elses.

Like all of annie m.g. schmidts novels, Minoes is a creative, crazy and fantastic children's story. I've read the story when I was a little girl, and I was very anxious when I heard they were going to make a movie of it. But when I saw it, I was rather disappointed, although I liked the cats and the actors. I think it's a nice movie for little children, and for people whom like cats, but when you're planning to get nostalgic, don't go see it!

All within a nice movie, certainly for Dutch understandings. Regrettably it appeared at the same time as the famous Harry Potter (great movie b.t.w)

I feel the earlier 2 comments were very detailed and sufficient. Nevertheless would like to add on some personal comments.I have just watched this movie at the European Film Festival here in KL. Having lived in Malaysia for 26 years it was a real treat to watch a Dutch movie on the big screen here. It made me feel quite nostalgic to see all the typical Dutch scenery, habits and other trivia. And then those cats attributed with typical Dutch characters. Lovely! The audience here was of the same opinion as I heard a lot of them laughing out loud. This movie is especially great for children AND adults with a ticklish inner child!! Praise for the acting of Carice van Houten. I thought she was more real and believable as a catwoman than Halle Berry!

KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Brianna Hope Beaton (age 12) reviews the film below: Video review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqC3Wk6_bKc

This is a very cute, entertaining and enjoyable film with lots and lots of cats. I like this film, because it has a little humor and creativity. I love how Miss Minoes (Carice van Houten) turns from a cat into a human and still has all her cat like instincts. To me this is a very challenging role to be able to switch back and forth like that throughout the film. I really start to enjoy this film when Miss Minoes become friends with the humans and see how she is communicating and reacting to them. This is really cool. I like how most of the background music is upbeat and goes beautifully with the specific scenes. Miss Minoes is a Siamese cat that is curious and gets herself changed into a young woman by drinking some dangerous chemicals. She dresses and talks like a young woman, but also eat and climb trees like a cat. She finds and helps a shy journalist, Tibbe (Theo Maassen), prove to his town that they have a villain for a factory boss that is not to be trusted. She gets all the latest and greatest information from all her little cat friends and passes it to Tibbe. Vincent Bal directs Miss Minoes which is an adaptation of the 1970 novel by Annie M.G. Schmidt and was released in the Netherlands in 2001. This film is dubbed in English, is easy for follow and enjoyable. Another main character is Bibi (Sarah Bannier) who is Tibbe's closest friend but also is a kid. A couple of great messages in this film are to respect each other's differences and to not judge a book by its cover, because Miss Minoes outside appearance is a woman, but underneath she is truly a cat. Miss Minoes is great for ages 8 to 12 and mostly girls who love cats will definitely enjoy this film. I give this film 4 out of 5 stars because, although it's a great cat film, I just think it has a little too many cats for a dog lover like me. Miss Minoes is overall a good film and I'm sure you will like it as well. So don't forget to get your copy on DVD or Blue ray and always listen to your felines.

Carice van Houten, now famous for her role in Zwartboek, is a great actress and knows how to get her audience's attention. In Minoes, she is a very sweet and fun girl and together with Theo Maassen she really put together a lovely movie. Though not more than 1 hour of entertainment, this movie is something you could watch over and over and over again. Why? It's lighthearted, very funny and brings out the genius that was Annie M.G. Schmidt, who wrote the story years ago. The power of this movies is also the voices of the cats. Famous Dutch people like Wim T. Schippers, a.k.a. Ernie (Bert and Ernie), and Hans Teeuwen, a renowed Dutch comedian make funny jokes all the time and besides it's really fun to hear someone be a cat. If you enjoyed this movie, I highly recommend Ja Zuster, Nee Zuster, which has a similar class and quality. Go ahead and watch them and have a great time!