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The Elfkins: Baking a Difference
By Tom Cassidy,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Animated tale packed with positive messages, 'toon violence.
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The Elfkins: Baking a Difference
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What's the Story?
In THE ELFKINS: BAKING A DIFFERENCE, Elfkins Elfie, Kipp, and Buck leave their secret town for the human world above ground where they get the chance to help a down on his luck baker save his shop.
Is It Any Good?
With so many positive messages stuffed into the recipe, this German animated delight could have turned out a stodgy mess. But what The Elfkins: Baking a Difference serves is a light, perfectly balanced, and richly refined delicacy. The cherry on top? It looks gorgeous -- especially the mouthwatering baked creations. The movie's lean running time packs in a handful of laugh-out-loud jokes and a lead character with an infectious positivity that makes it a joy to sit through. It's well paced and there's just enough action to deliver thrills, with exciting situations that require characters' quick thinking. So involving is the story that you'll want to give a fist pump when things come good.
It's not perfect -- some of the English dubbed voiceover is way off the animated mouth movements and the song that occurs only twice still feels two times too many. But the pervasive positive attitude that hangs over the movie sees to it that these don't deter from what is a short, sweet, and very satisfying animated adventure for all the family.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how fun baking looks in The Elfkins: Baking a Difference. What did you learn about baking from the movie? Can you think of something you'd like to make together as a family?
Discuss the character of Elfie. Would she have succeeded if she had listened to everyone? What character strengths did she demonstrate? Why are those important traits to have?
Talk about the cartoon violence. Did you find any of the scenes too extreme for a movie like this? Did the fact that there were no serious consequences make a difference to how you felt about the scenes? What's the impact of media violence on kids?
The Elfkins retell the story of their ancestors. Does your culture, or even family, have any well known stories or traditions? What is the importance of retelling these types of stories?
Movie Details
- In theaters: February 10, 2020
- Cast: Rivka Rothstein , Liam Mockridge , Erik Hansen
- Director: Ute von Münchow-Pohl
- Studio: Signature Entertainment
- Genre: Family and Kids
- Topics: Cooking and Baking , Princesses, Fairies, Mermaids, and More , Friendship
- Character Strengths: Compassion , Courage , Curiosity , Perseverance , Teamwork
- Run time: 78 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG
- MPAA explanation: mild action and rude material
- Last updated: October 8, 2022
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