Master Eder and his Pumuckl (1982)

How sad is this?

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

You know when I hear the word "goblin", I usually think of something ugly or nasty, but this is not what Pumuckl is at all in this film "Meister Eder und sein Pumuckl". Actually, he looks like a tiny boy with his wild red hair. And equally boyish is his state of mind as he thinks about pranks all the time. Too bad the little goblin gets stuck on the glue in Meister Eder's workshop and the consequence is not only that Eder can see him from now on (as can we), but also that he will have to stay with him from now on. And the results are many adventures, many pranks and lots of chaos. This is probably the career-defining role for Gustl Bayrhammer, even if it came that late in his career and maybe also for Hans Clarin, who voices Pumuckl and sounds much younger than in his 50s. The writer and director is Ulrich König who made himself a name with this mix of live action and tiny animated characters. He also made "Hatschipuh". The original writer of Pumuckl is Ellis Kaut and she died last year at an ancient age of 94.The good thing about this movie is absolutely the title character Pumuckl. He is great fun to watch and every time we see him, it gets a lot better than compared to when we see human characters only. Clarin('s voice) was perfect for the character. It's fun to watch Eder tell Pumuckl how to sit at the table or when he forces him to take a bath with Pumuckl constantly complaining. I think this film is a good watch for younger audiences, but older people who are still young at heart and may remember Pumuckls from their childhood can equally enjoy this one. It came out the very same year like a television series on Pumuckl actually and that one is probably more known than this film. They used several scenes from the series for the movie here and for me that's perfectly fine. I enjoyed the watch and give it a thumbs-up. No surprise everybody (in German-speaking countries) still knows Pumuckl and I am surprised they have not made a new film in a long time as it's the years of remakes and reboots right now. Until they do, watch this one. You will hopefully not be disappointed.