Frogs and Toads: Max’s Magical Journey (Kikkerdril)

This is a slightly odd, but enjoyable film that follows 6 year old Max and his friend Jesse on their adventures in the countryside as they try to find frog spawn for Max’s older brother, who claims he needs it to regain his voice after surgery. I love the kids’ adventures and the beautiful natural scenery, but there’s a little bit of mild rudeness (between brothers, and between Max and Jesse before they become friends) which I find unnecessary. The film is originally in Dutch, and dubbed in English. I’m glad not to have to read out subtitles to my kids, but the mismatch between the kids speaking and the dubbed-over voices is a bit disconcerting. I do recommend this film – but it’s not perfect.

Age: 5+
Child rating: 9/10
Adult rating: 8/10
Running time: 33 minutes
Available: I had to order the DVD for this one

Geese Swans (also called The Magic Swan Geese)

This is a nice 1949 animation by Alexandra Snezhko-Blotskaya and Ivan Ivanov-Vano, based on a Russian fairytale. A young boy is taken away by some evil swan geese which belong to the witch Baba Yaga, and his sister goes to rescue him. On her way, she helps, and is later helped by, an outdoor bread oven, an apple tree, and a stream of milk. M. (4) found the part at the witch’s house a bit scary, so we skipped over that (and this is why I’m rating it 5+, though some kids might be ready for it younger).

Age: 5+
Child rating: 9/10
Adult rating: 9/10
Running time: 17’30”
Available: Available free here