Trick or Treaters

Three robbers hold up carriages at night and pile what they take in a cave. One night the carriage they stop holds a lone child: Tiffany, orphaned and on her way to an institution. Rather than fear them, she tells them she is the daughter of a wealthy maharaja. The three men swallow the lie and for the first time have to look after somebody. Directed by Hayo Freitag, this German animation adapts Tomi Ungerer's 1961 children's book. Ungerer's line carries onto the screen: sharp silhouettes, deep colour, a world that is dark without being frightening. The German version and the English one are not the same film. From the international release titled Trick or Treaters, Ungerer's own narration was removed, the film was shortened, and a Halloween theme was added with a new narrator. Who it's for: Viewers who like animation adapted from books, the European drawing tradition, and dark-toned children's fables. Who it's not for: The narrative is simple and the pace is slow. Anyone watching the English version will see a film some distance from the original.