The Super Elfkins (Dubbed) (U)

Spirited rebel Elfie continues to exasperate elders Brimur and Vendla with her unelfceptable behaviour. They decide by majority vote to put Elfie under house arrest. Regardless, she leaves her room and encounters a high-tech Elfkin named Bo, who is part of an elite team of operatives that uses gadgets and gizmos to carry out top-secret missions. This renegade band of Elfkins commanded by Horik have recently returned from Vienna to their ancestral home in the cathedral city of Cologne.

LondonNet Film Review

The Super Elfkins (U) Film Review from LondonNet

Tiny helpers, who sew, craft and clean under the cover of darkness in modern-day Cologne, learn the power of community and collaboration in a heartwarming computer-animated sequel directed by Ute von Munchow-Pohl, which is cheerfully dubbed for young audiences on this side of the English Channel. Spirited rebel Elfie (voiced by Cindy Eliz) continues to exasperate elders Brimur (Jo Kaye) and Vendla (Madelin Marchant) with her unelfceptable behaviour. They decide by majority vote to put Elfie under house arrest…

Regardless, Elfie leaves her room and encounters a high-tech Elfkin named Bo (Jackson Poole), who is part of an elite team of operatives that uses gadgets and gizmos to carry out top-secret missions. This renegade band of Elfkins commanded by Horik (Tim Powers) comprises clumsy rookie Bo, Gulfi (David Cherry) and Ila (Rosana Smith). They have recently returned from Vienna to their ancestral home in the cathedral city of Cologne and Elfie is “super crazy delighted” to make their acquaintance. Alas, Vendla believes the legend that these outcasts are evil imps.

Elfie is caught between two factions: on one side are best friends Kipp (Roly Gutierrez) and Buck (Greg Romero), and on the other is the promise of daredevil thrills with Bo and co. Police officer Lansky (Leigh Sterling) and her feisty cat are fixated on proving the existence of Elfkins by capturing the elusive creatures. Elfie is perfectly placed to unite two tribes and protect her caring kin from the human world.

The Super Elfkins retains the sweet sincerity and wholesomeness of the original film, also directed by von Munchow-Pohl, and marginally expands the colourful universe of tiny folkloric characters, who secretly accomplish tasks that us humans forget or do not have the physical energy to complete. Bakery-themed shenanigans of the first instalment get a high-tech upgrade in a sequel filled with drone acrobatics and CCTV surveillance but similar amounts of heartfelt sentiment.

The determined police antagonist and feline accomplice, who obsessively pursue the Elfkins, are reminiscent of Gargamel and Azrael in the Smurfs. Animation is sufficiently detailed to survive close scrutiny on a big screen (Elfie’s hair ruffles convincingly in the wind) but doesn’t push any boundaries for the medium. Little Elfie’s search for her identity, without sacrificing her individuality, is chronicled in familiar story beats by scriptwriter Jan Strathmann and expository dialogue. “I really need to find out where I belong,” the conflicted heroine sombrely confides to one of her best friends, with a hand resting pointedly on her heart. Awww.

– Sarah Lee