The Little Vampire (2017) – review

Directors: Richard Claus & Karsten Kiilerich

Release date: 2017

Contains spoilers

Based on the books of Angela Sommer-Bodenburg the Little Vampire has had the small screen treatment, in the form of two series the Little Vampire and the Little Vampire: New Adventures, the big screen treatment, the little Vampire (2000) and now gets the 3D animation treatment (though the DVD is not in 3D).

The film is definitely pitched at kids, after all it is based on kids’ books, but it doesn’t nuance in the way it might, for a more adult audience, and it fails to capture the humour that the feature film imbued itself with.

Rasmus Hardiker voices Rudolph

It begins with the vampire clans flying to a crypt in Transylvania – they are gathering for the birthday of Rudolph Sackville-Bagg (Rasmus Hardiker, Danger Mouse) who will be 13 for the 300th time. He and his brother Gregory (also Rasmus Hardiker) and sister Anna (Phoebe Givron-Taylor) are forbidden by their father (Tim Pigott-Smith) from leaving the crypt – due to the dangers it involves. Their mother (Alice Krige, Sleepwalkers & playing the same role as she did in the Little Vampire (2000)) wants Rudolph to wear his party clothes but he hates them, sneaks out and put them on a statue.

the Thompsons

Over in Germany an Aunt and Uncle are stuck in their crypt as the uncle has lost the key – eventually they leave via the sewers. Nearby drive the Thompsons, mum (Julia Rhodes), dad (Kevin Otto) and son Tony (Amy Saville). Tony is obsessed with vampires (this is gleaned more from the previous versions than this, reading one vampire book and being told off for it is hardly obsession) and is thrilled when he sees the Aunt and Uncle take to the skies – something his parents miss. Dad manages to go off-road and halt the car near the graveyard. Eventually they are found by their hoteliers.

Hunters' light

Meanwhile, cantankerous vampire hunter Rookery (Jim Carter) goes to collect his vehicle from inventor and sidekick Maney (Joseph Kloska). Maney has added a bright (sun-like) light to the vehicle and added an undead radar. They go out on the hunt just as Gregory and Rudolph have snuck out and they manage to injure Gregory with a portable light. Rudolph gets Gregory back to the crypt but the hunters are hot on their trail. The family (bar Gregory) escape but all the other vampires are trapped in the crypt. Pursued (and the father injured) by road and then by air, Rudolph lures the hunters away whilst the family escape to safety.

no reflection

The Thompsons have reached their hotel – actually a castle (Tony has persuaded his folks to take him on a ‘creepy castle’ trip) – and Rudolph, fleeing the rising sun, ends up in Tony’s room. After some mistrust they become friends but Rookery is after Rudolph, the family and the vampires who are still trapped. There is a feeding from a cow moment – which leads to a single vampire cow, rather than the herd of the 2000 feature. The vampires can fly (this is not a function of their cloaks as per the TV series), cast no reflection, hate garlic but have been off the red stuff for some time.

Anna floats in

There are madcap chases but this doesn’t edge towards a darker end, as it might have done, and certainly doesn’t offer the comedy value that would have bolstered it. There seems to be little in the way of building the characters – Rudolph and Tony are thinly drawn, Anna is barely in it and the other vampires and the parents are scarcely a footnote. Rookery is a villain, of course, but again has no nuance and the character of Maney might have been prime for a redemption but the film swerves away from that. The animation, however, looks nice. This could have been so much better 5 out of 10 reflects that it might appeal to the target audience and a love of the basic premise/story kept me watching.

The imdb page is here.

On DVD @ Amazon US

On DVD @ Amazon UK