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The Little Ghost

Original title: Das kleine Gespenst
  • 2013
  • PG
  • 1h 32m
IMDb RATING
5.7/10
592
YOUR RATING
Herbert Knaup, Uwe Ochsenknecht, Nico Hartung, Jonas Holdenrieder, and Emily Kusche in The Little Ghost (2013)
Watch Trailer [OV]
Play trailer1:59
1 Video
39 Photos
FamilyFantasy

The Little Ghost lives in the castle over looking a small town and awakens for precisely one hour after the clock strikes midnight. Follow him on this adventure to see his first sunrise ever... Read allThe Little Ghost lives in the castle over looking a small town and awakens for precisely one hour after the clock strikes midnight. Follow him on this adventure to see his first sunrise ever!The Little Ghost lives in the castle over looking a small town and awakens for precisely one hour after the clock strikes midnight. Follow him on this adventure to see his first sunrise ever!

  • Director
    • Alain Gsponer
  • Writers
    • Otfried Preußler
    • Martin Ritzenhoff
  • Stars
    • Jonas Holdenrieder
    • Emily Kusche
    • Nico Hartung
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    5.7/10
    592
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Alain Gsponer
    • Writers
      • Otfried Preußler
      • Martin Ritzenhoff
    • Stars
      • Jonas Holdenrieder
      • Emily Kusche
      • Nico Hartung
    • 5User reviews
    • 37Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win

    Videos1

    Trailer [OV]
    Trailer 1:59
    Watch Trailer [OV]

    Photos39

    The Little Ghost (2013)
    Bettina Stucky, Nico Hartung, Jonas Holdenrieder, and Emily Kusche in The Little Ghost (2013)
    Uwe Ochsenknecht in The Little Ghost (2013)
    The Little Ghost (2013)
    Nico Hartung, Jonas Holdenrieder, and Emily Kusche in The Little Ghost (2013)
    Nico Hartung, Jonas Holdenrieder, and Emily Kusche in The Little Ghost (2013)
    Nico Hartung, Jonas Holdenrieder, and Emily Kusche in The Little Ghost (2013)
    Herbert Knaup, Nico Hartung, Jonas Holdenrieder, and Emily Kusche in The Little Ghost (2013)
    Uwe Ochsenknecht in The Little Ghost (2013)
    The Little Ghost (2013)
    Herbert Knaup, Nico Hartung, Jonas Holdenrieder, and Emily Kusche in The Little Ghost (2013)
    Uwe Ochsenknecht in The Little Ghost (2013)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jonas Holdenrieder
    • Karl
    Emily Kusche
    Emily Kusche
    • Marie
    Nico Hartung
    • Hannes
    Herbert Knaup
    Herbert Knaup
    • Uhrmachermeister Zifferle
    Bettina Stucky
    Bettina Stucky
    • Lehrerin Thalmeyer
    Uwe Ochsenknecht
    Uwe Ochsenknecht
    • Der Bürgermeister…
    Carlos Richter
    • Peter
    Stefan Merki
    • Hauptbrandmeister
    Aykut Kayacik
    • Burgverwalter
    Aljoscha Stadelmann
    Aljoscha Stadelmann
    • Polizei-Hauptmann
    Till Valentin Winter
    • Rudolf
    Judith Rosmair
    • Gräfin
    Sandra Borgmann
    Sandra Borgmann
    • Mutter von Karl
    Stephan Kampwirth
    Stephan Kampwirth
    • Vater von Karl
    Jaymes Butler
    Jaymes Butler
    • Postbote
    Anna Thalbach
    Anna Thalbach
    • Das kleine Gespenst
    • (voice)
    Wolfgang Hess
    • Uhu Schuhu
    • (voice)
    Matthias Kupfer
    Matthias Kupfer
    • Postbote
    • (voice)
    • Director
      • Alain Gsponer
    • Writers
      • Otfried Preußler
      • Martin Ritzenhoff
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The first film version of this classic novel that is not an animation.
    • Connections
      Version of Das kleine Gespenst (1992)

    User reviews5

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    6/10
    Friendly Ghost Story for Kindergarteners
    This charming children's film tells of a little white ghost who roams the halls of the castle from 12 midnight to 1 am every day with his ring of keys which can open any lock. However, he yearns to see the brightness of the daytime. Upon advice of his friend the Owl, Little Ghost needed to switch the time of a certain watch tied to him in order to set the waking time he wanted.

    Since he did not know which watch, Ghost proceeded to switch the time of all the watches in the castle. While he was switching a valuable watch, a spirited kid named Karl sees him. Ghost takes the watch with him in panic, and Karl was blamed for the watch's loss. From there, the Ghost and Karl will go through a lot of mishaps and misadventures while trying to rectify the situation

    As you can see for the poster, Little Ghost looks a lot like Casper the friendly ghost, and acts a lot like him too. The special effects used looked obviously practical, a foamy sphere for a head and a white sheet as his body. This is clearly for very young children. There is nothing really scary about this ghost. Even his dubbed voice sounds like that of an adorable child -- very cute indeed. He would be singing some songs too for some additional entertainment.

    The adult actors all act in a clownish, cartoonish style as is customary for kiddie movies. Notably funny was Uwe Ochsenknecht, the actor who played both the Swedish general in the portrait and the haughty town Mayor. The actors who played the obese Chief of Police and the Clockmaker was also quite silly. Jonas Holdenrieder, who played Karl, and the actors who played his friends, did well. They were not pushy nor annoying like some Hollywood child actors were wont to do.

    This is a German children's film dubbed in English. Being a European film, you cannot really expect the fast and frenetic Hollywood style of storytelling. The story was told in a slower pace which may make older kids who are more used to superheroes or monsters bored. There was only one certain point in the film when the child Karl will be in a very precarious situation, but you know things will all turn out for the best.

    "The Little Ghost" will be funny and thrilling for younger kids. For adults though, the film's retro vibe and simple visual effects may seem hokey for most adults. Give it a chance though, and it may surprise and delight you, like it did for me. 6/10.
    helpful•5
    1
    • 3xHCCH
    • Sep 4, 2015

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 7, 2013 (Germany)
    • Countries of origin
      • Germany
      • Switzerland
    • Official sites
      • Author Ottfried Preussler's official site
      • Filmportal (German Movies)
    • Language
      • German
    • Also known as
      • El pequeño fantasma
    • Filming locations
      • Quedlinburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
    • Production companies
      • Claussen Wöbke Putz Filmproduktion
      • Zodiac Pictures International
      • Universum Film (UFA)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross worldwide
      • $8,589,894
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 32 minutes
    • Color
      • Color

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    Herbert Knaup, Uwe Ochsenknecht, Nico Hartung, Jonas Holdenrieder, and Emily Kusche in The Little Ghost (2013)
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