Parents will be happy to know that this is a completely innocent film. No obnoxious pop music. No innuendos. No exhaustive toy line to promote to kids. Some of the kids are annoying, though. The spiciest thing is a child uttering "Timbuktu " in frustration, as well as some irresponsible pet ownership. It does not require any knowledge of prior Conni material (it's a German novel series that's been adapted previously into film and TV shows) either.
Nothing here is a standout. The visuals are serviceable at best, but the animation is stiff. The music is decently forgettable. The cast of actors (in the English version) do well for the most part.
The story is where things fall apart. It's too simple to sustain its runtime. There are no stakes. An obvious b-plot is never addressed (do Conni's parents not notice the family cat has been missing for days?) and a plot thread regarding Luca's fear of abandonment was just left untouched.
The character writing is weak. Conni is a brat at the start and is still a brat at the end. Yes, Luca does become less anti-social, but the reason why he was that way in the first place wasn't solved. His point about the kids going back home and forgetting him is still very much true. The other characters simply exist.
In short, younger children might be distracted by the animal antics to sit through the movie's runtime, but everyone else will feel like it's already too long at 80 minutes.
Plot summary
For the very first time, Conni goes on a big trip without her family. Of course her best friends Anna and Simon are joining, but unfortunately she is not allowed to take Cat Mau with her. As they arrived in the hostel, an old mill close to a castle, Conni discovers that Mau had come as a blind passenger. Secretly she cheers, although she knows that animals are forbidden in the castle and the hostess, Ms. Weingartner, is allergic to cats. Conni tries to hide Mau, but the cheeky cat cares little. He explores the surroundings curiously and does a lot of nonsense. Ms. Weingartner identifies her son's pet, the sweet raccoon Oskar, as the culprit and wants to take him to the zoo. And then things disappear from the hostel in a strange way. Conni and her friends have to act quickly: Will the children be able to save raccoon Oskar, tame Mau and also find a real thief?
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
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Movie Reviews
Only for the least discerning of youngest
Cat lovers must-see! I want a cat exactly like "Mau"!!
This is Germany's original animated movie. The story is an adventure of school boys and girls for their pets not to be sent to the zoo. It's good for watching with family.