Heidi - Die Legende vom Luchs

Looking for something to take my 4 year old daughter to on a cold morning, added bonus as she's got a German grandma who recants stories about Heidi to her and she's become a bit fascinated by the "girl from the mountains". It's a very gentle and traditional little film that's noticeably more simplistic than the average Hollywood equivalent. First of all there's no strangely forced innuendo to keep parents entertained, there's a complete lack of forced modern societal commentary, and it's refreshing to show your child something that doesn't feel like a platform for James Corden or some other vacuous showbiz entity. It's slower paced, much less manic than average and yet my daughter was completely enraptured by the whole adventure.

Now this does get off to a distinctly ropey start with song called "Heidi" that we could probably have done without, but thereafter it's actually a perfectly adequate little family feature. As per Johanna Spyri's book, "Heidi" lives in the mountains with her kindly but grumpy grandfather and near her best pal, the goatherd "Peter". When a family of peckish lynxes is caught trying to get onto the chicken coup, they are scared away and the community - egged on by visiting lumber entrepreneur "Schnaittinger" - set up traps for them. Luckily for one she names "Pepper", "Heidi" rescues one and together with "Peter" goes up above the tree line to reunite it with its family. That is where she discovers the real intention of their new, unscrupulous, benefactor and so concludes that his similar plans for their pristine valley must be kiboshed. He's devious, though, and soon everything she holds dear is in peril...! No, there's not really much jeopardy but for the kids it has some amiable characters, playful kittens and a thumping great environmental message that is writ large, but actually quite gently. The animation is all fairly standard, big-eyed, stuff, and some of the movements do look a little stilted but it's all perfectly watchable summer cinema fayre. Quite whether children will be interested or not is a good question. I saw it on my own.

I was looking for the perfect film to mark my daughter's very first cinema experience. From my own memories, I know how deeply such a moment can stay with you-especially if it's celebrated in a thoughtful, meaningful way.

Until now, she had only seen two films: Frozen 1 and 2-both at home, with plenty of pauses, explanations, and reassurances along the way. So it was important to me that her first outing to the big screen wouldn't be full of frantic cuts or overwhelming tension. I was searching for something gentle. Something inviting. And I found it here.

The film creates a picture-perfect world-one that likely never existed anywhere, yet feels real in its warmth and simplicity. And surprisingly, it's done remarkably well for a production of this type. The German voice actors were excellently cast, with well-defined characters and a clear emotional arc throughout.

The story, centred around an injured young fox and a businessman who wants to build a sawmill, is straightforward-yet exactly right for children. It's easy to follow, and more importantly, it's told at a calm, measured pace. That quiet rhythm allows even very young viewers to stay present, to understand, and to feel.

It may not be a cinematic masterpiece-but it doesn't need to be. It knows what it wants to be, and it delivers that with charm and clarity. For anyone looking to introduce their child to the magic of storytelling on the big screen, this is a gentle, heartwarming place to begin.