The Little Witch (5 Stars)

It might surprise some of my readers that "The Little Witch" is one of my favourite films of 2018. It's a children's film aimed primarily at pre-teens. All that I can say is that if you feel surprised you don't know me very well. You need to read my posts more regularly. Despite having some preferences, my taste in films isn't limited to any one genre. I can appreciate any good film, whatever type of film it is, anything from horror to action to children's films. Usually my minimum requirement is that a film has a well-written plot, but even that isn't necessary if a film excels in other ways.

"The Little Witch" doubtlessly tells a good story. It's based on a popular children's book with the same name written by Otfried Preußler in 1957. It's about a young witch who lives in a house in the woods with her familiar, a talking raven called Abraxas. Young is relative. She's 127 years old, but among witches she's still considered to be a child. She wants to be accepted by the other witches. Every year on Walpurgis Night (April 30th) there's a big party on the mountain Blocksberg, where the witches dance all night. She wants to dance with them. I can sympathise with her. I love dancing.

The Little Witch's name isn't revealed in the film, so I'll call her Karoline, the name of the actress who plays her. Karoline decides to gatecrash the party. After only a few minutes she's spotted by her Aunt Rumpumpel, who drags her in front of the queen of the witches. She's told that she will never be invited to the dance as a punishment, but she begs to be allowed to show that she's worthy. She's told that within a year she must learn  all 7922 spells in the Witches Spellbook.

The following story is nothing short of magical. Karoline's progress is monitored by her Aunt Rumpumpel, who is determined to see her fail. But as in all tales of magic and wonderment we know that those with good hearts will prevail. Karoline's heart is pure and she wants to do good.

Karoline makes friends with two children from the nearby town, Thomas and Vroni. At first they don't believe she's a witch because she's not ugly enough. That's the understatement of the year. She's gorgeous! Okay, she has a big nose that would probably poke me when we kiss, but what's a little poke between friends?

Don't you think that the actress Karoline Herfurth looks beautiful?

She looks even better when she puts on a mean face.

If you're wondering about the nose, I'll let you into a secret. It's a fake nose that she used for the film, so I wouldn't have to worry about the poking.

Karoline Herfurth's not just beautiful, she's a wonderful actress. Look at the wide range of emotions she can express.

Watch this film for yourself. Pretend you're a child. You'll find yourself transported into a fairy-tale world where everything is possible and good always triumphs over evil. Maybe it will become one of your favourite films as well.