As Viagens de Tommy Tricker

well this has to be one of my favourite movies, its such a fun and enjoyable movie for all. I really love Tommys persona. The movie is about a 3 friends Ralph, Tommy, and the lovable Nancy (who Tommy falls for in the return of Tommy Tricker). Its starts of with Tommy stealing Ralphs grandparents stamps, then the gang realise that the old tale of the stamp is true and Tommy and Ralph travel the world for certain stamps. This movie is great for younger children, but the whole family could easily enjoy it. If you like kiddy adventures this movie probably is with the Goonies and the sandlotkids. This movie is one of my favourites.

You can usually pick out the work of Rock Demers/Michael Rubbo and the French-Canadian Disney of the North (I meant that in a complimentary way). First, there are no loud, screaming car-chases or machine guns; next, the pace is slow, and the audience has to think along with the cast; third, the kids treat the adults and each other with politeness and respect.....what a novel thought!!! Probably his best effort, 6/10+.

I always enjoy watching this movie again and again, although I'm in my thirties: To my mind, "Tommy Tricker" always manages to bring back to me nice memories of my youth (what might be true for other adults as well). I even recall the first time I watched it: it was the Summer of 1991 (probably the first time "Tommy Tricker" was aired on an Italian television, but I may be wrong). I remember I felt that every character was so sympathetic and easy to agree with, that I immediately loved the movie. In fact, at that age (more or less 15), I was a little awkward in the same way as Ralph was, and I would have liked to have been more self-confident like Tommy (incidentally, Lucas Evans and Anthony Rogers act great, with just minor flaws, which - in my opinion – contribute to render the movie even more realistic). Moreover, I must admit it's always a pleasure to hear different English accents (mainly Canadian and Australian) as is possible in this movie: being a non-native speaker of English I always appreciate it when I can "feel" these differences, which are easy to catch, since, in this case, the linguistic level is not that difficult. To sum up: congratulations to the director and... too bad that the young actors didn't go on acting (at least, to the best of my knowledge).

My review was written in May 1988 after a Cannes Film Festival Market screening.

"Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller" is a delightful children's fantasy which tackles the unusual screen topic of stamp collecting. The seventh entry in producer Rock Demers' "Tales for All" film series will entertain and edify smallfry and have some interest for older philatelists as well.

Writer-director Michael Rubbo has peppered the feature with concise and accurate descriptions of stamp terminology as well as collecting methods and interests. This educational material is interwoven painlessly with the fictional story.

Tommy Tricker (nicely essayed by Anthony Rogers) is a young prankster who finagles a rare stamp variety worth several hundred dollars from his friend Ralph, taken from Ralph's dad's collection. Ralph (Lucas Evans) and his sister Nancy (Jill Stanley) try to get it back from the local stamp store where Tommy sold it, but end up with a 1928 collection instead.

Inside the 1928 album they find a little boy's letter and magical rhymes to be chanted that will reduce the sende to miniature size, in order to travel around the world on the stamps on letters. A rare collection is said to await the sender at an address in Australia.

Ralph undertakes the mission and has colorful and atmospheric adventures shot on location in China and Sydney. Pic carefully demonstrates the romance of philately by using fantasy to concretely depict the sublimated travel to faraway lands.

The kids are cute and tech credits first-rate. Rubbo stages a novel and amusing foot chase in a mall midway through the film and keeps the action moving. Animated effects and rotoscoping for the process of miniaturization and return to normal size are nicely done.

I just watched this movie for the first time in seven years. I found the o.g. VHS my mom taped when it first came out, and it had me laughing the whole way through the movie. dragons, kangaroos, boomerangs, stamps, postcards, and a aborigine playing a didgeree-doo. The guys in the stamp shop were awesome. Tell them to tell her to them nothing. It sucks that I can't find a newer copy of it where I am at. But I'll have to say it is the best movie I have seen in a long time. My cat Hitler gives the movie four paws up cause he sat through with me and watched it the whole time. Anyone up for some sardine sandwiches. How about a ride on the back of a horse, or a dragon, or behind a kangaroo.