Papa Moll goes to the cinema
The children's classic Papa Moll has been made into a film. I was allowed to watch the film before it was released. The film about the clumsy and sweet Papa Moll is made for children, but is also entertaining for older generations.
The stories of the father of the family, Papa Moll, are now also available as a cinema film.
This year, Papa Moll is celebrating his 65th birthday and the film adaptation of his adventures.
The film of Papa Moll was produced by the same makers as the Swiss film "Heidi".
Like Heidi and Schellen-Ursli, which were made into films in 2015, Papa Moll is also part of the cultural heritage of Swiss childhood, so to speak.
The press screening of the film was early in the morning. I'd forgotten the coffee. And croissants too. But back to the film.
The film begins. My childhood memories come flooding back. Although I was more of a Globi kid, I still read one or two of the 30 volumes featuring Father Moll and his children. And Papa Moll is also part of the Globi publishing house anyway.
So I'm sitting in the cinema armed with a notepad and pen and realise that I've made a mistake. The choice of film wasn't the mistake, I made it to the right cinema. But notepad and pen are of no use to me in the dark. So I try to remember as many details from the film as I can in my head and write them down afterwards.
The plot briefly explained
This article is not intended to be a spoiler. I will therefore only briefly explain the plot here. The cinema film is the prequel to all the Moll volumes.
Mum Moll treats herself to a wellness weekend with her friends.
"Are you going to be okay on your own?" she asks Dad Moll as she's leaving.
Papa Moll answers convincingly: "Er, yes, yes. I can do that with my left hand."
And he's home alone with the three children for the weekend. Of course, the chaos is not long in coming. Papa Moll is repeatedly called back to the chocolate factory where he works. His employee, an even bigger scatterbrain than Papa Moll, is completely overwhelmed. Meanwhile, a bitter argument breaks out between the Moll children and the children of the boss of the chocolate factory. The argument is about candy floss and ultimately about a circus dog.
Whether Papa Moll can overcome the whole challenge or whether he will sink into chaos after all, you can see when you go to see the film from its cinema release on 21 December.
If you prefer reading to watching, you can find the book for the film here. [[product:6509515]]
A children's film that's not just funny for kids
Papa Moll the film is kept in a beautifully colourful retro style. In contrast to the well-known Papa Moll comics, the film features real actors in the fictional town of Murmlikon.
The exact address is Gartenstrasse 7, and there is a verse at the beginning: "In the Gartenstrasse 7 he lives with his loved ones".
In general, I liked the language of the film. Typically Swiss funny expressions such as "Sternenfoifi" and "Potzblitz" and "Jesses Maria" are used frequently. Apart from the short introduction, the entire film is spoken in dialect.
The suspense is not neglected
Although the plot is unrealistic and amusingly exaggerated, the makers have managed to build up suspense in the film. There are many amusing scenes built into the film. To name one example: The dutiful village policeman is hit full on the helmet by a childish miscreant with, get this, a rubber dart. Emergency in Murmlikon. The rubber dart shooter is immediately searched for by several police task forces. The manhunt in the town is unsuccessful for the time being. But the audience laughs, the scene is a success.
Such actions have often reminded me of the Swiss rascal film "My name is Eugen".
In addition to the funny aspects, the plot is also quite emotional. The Moll family's dachshund already plays an important role in the comic books. The four-legged friend also plays a major role in the cinema film.
In the end, I was also surprised by the film's music. The title song sounded familiar. A little research revealed that the song comes from the up-and-coming Swiss band Dabu Fantastic.
The title song "Los Los" by Dabu Fantastic can be heard at the end of the trailer.
In conclusion, I wouldn't go and watch the film with my colleagues on a Friday night, but I still found it amusing and sweetly made. Even if the film is not for a Friday evening with beer and colleagues, I recommend it to anyone who wants to watch it with children or who is still a bit of a child themselves.
I also noticed that the children always address their father as Papa Moll. Papa Moll's first name was never mentioned. I wonder if they even know Papa Moll's first name. I don't think so - funny actually.
If you know Papa Moll's first name, please let me know in the comments.
Testing devices and gadgets is my thing. Some experiments lead to interesting insights, others to demolished phones. I’m hooked on series and can’t imagine life without Netflix. In summer, you’ll find me soaking up the sun by the lake or at a music festival.