Conni and the Cat: Film Review

Conni and the Cat is Germany’s animated film hit of last summer. Based on the character from one of the nation’s long-running children’s TV series ‘My Friend Conni‘ the cartoon enjoyed both commercial success and critical acclaim in its home country where it was nominated for best animation at the German Children’s Film and TV Festival 2020.

Conni and the Cat courtesy of Munro Film

Now it has been revoiced in English, with Mia Ciscon as Conni joined by a largely Irish cast, for UK cinema release.

In this gentle adventure, Conni takes a three-day school trip to an old castle, where she will be staying away from home for the first time. But while the idea of the trip is exciting, Conni is sad at not being able to take her best friend, Mau the cat with her.

It seems that Mau feels the same way at the thought of being parted from her mischievous chum, because no sooner does the bus arrive than Mau finds a way of sneaking on board and joining the fun.

Conni and the Cat courtesy of Munro Films

There is confusion and chaos as the pair are reunited. And while Conni is happy to see her cheeky friend, she knows there could be trouble ahead. The castle’s owner, Ms. Weingartner is allergic to cats and forbids all pets on her property. What will happen if she finds Mau? As Conni would say: ‘Oh Shrubbery Plants and Timbuktu!’

Conni and her friends try to hide Mau from Ms. Weingartner and the teachers, but Mau is oblivious to the danger and carries on creating mayhem as usual. Eggs are broken, cakes are eaten, things go bump in the night, and guests’ belongings start to go missing. It’s all too much for Ms. Weingartner who quickly jumps to the conclusion that it is her son’s raccoon Oskar who is to blame and plans to banish him to a petting zoo.

The detective skills of Conni and her friends are needed to save Oskar, keep Mau safe, brave the castle’s ghostly noises, and find the real thief.

The animations look a bit dated, but the story has all the ingredients for a fun-filled adventure where children know more than the adults, are braver, and support each other to save the day.