Search - Laura's Star on DVD

Quality, Sweet movie for the family

K. | 10/09/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This was a very sweet movie. My 4 year old daughter adored it, and I think it's idea for ages 4-8 with such sweet innocence free of the sarcasm and bad guys found in most feature-length animation. I love the Disney fair too, but this slower-paced, sweeter adventure of a young girl who comes across a magical star and lives with a loving family is such a nice change. The animation is much better than most films, too, and the subtle British voices were precious.



Enjoy!"

Amazing !

Frank J.G. | Parkville, MO/USA | 09/30/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a wonderful animation ... excellent quality, way superior to the regular Disney and Pixar movies. The story line is free of violence and monsters.This DVD is a visual entertainment treasure for your child."

And the Stars Will Be Your Guide...

George Buttner | Dayton, Ohio United States | 01/03/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Laura's Star" shines with stardust in three key areas:





- Animation --- Very comforting animation style that combines both traditional animation and CGI elements. Soft pastel coloring that fits with the overall fantasy style of the film, but also lends a certain realness where needed. Expressive characters that translate well into many languages.



- Music --- This film includes a charming musical track that includes "The Magic Flute" by Mozart, a pleasing score headed by Hans Zimmer ("Pirates of the Caribbean" - argh!) and catchy pop songs by a group called "Wonderwall." After watching this film, it makes me want to explore more of the works of Zimmer and Wonderwall as well --- a German group.



- Overall Plot and Magic --- The main plot of "Laura's Star" is that a family moves out of the country into a new home in the city. The girl in the family, Laura, is having trouble adjusting to her new neighborhood. There are bullies to deal with and nothing is familiar. She really wants to go back to her old home, but then a little magic comes into her life --- a little star who she helps to heal and whose stardust has magical properties. Now she's off on magical adventures, but faces despair at times as well. Sure, the plot starts off a little slow at first. But I don't really mind that. I don't care either if there's not a huge amount of entertainment value or high drama. This film has a sweet charm and a rather relaxing quality at times, similar to something like "Franklin" or "The Little Bear Movie" and I wouldn't mind seeing a similar movie by the same filmmakers again.





Oh --- and great dub. This film was originally voiced in German, but they've picked a wonderful cast for the English-language release.





This DVD comes with a neat set of special features. You get commentary by the filmmakers about the production of the film, a look at the German voice recording and voice actors, background on the music and a music video of "Touch the Sky" and a look at the animation process. There are also a few reasonably decent games.



Unfortunately, the special features were the one area where I felt a bit more effort could have been put in. You see, this is the U.S. / English language release, but the special features haven't been localized for U.S. audiences. So generally the cast and crew are heard speaking in German. I don't even really mind this. What I do mind is that in those cases where somebody actually was speaking in English, they have *somebody else* speaking over them in German! Couldn't they have removed that?





"Laura's Star" ("Lauras Stern" if you prefer the German title) is a wonderful treat for animation fans and a Chicago Children's Festival award-winner. If you or your kids enjoy quality animation and are looking for something that's maybe a little different, don't pass this up."

Star in our view

M. O'neil | 12/20/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My two year old loves this --the music is soothing-she loves the star(anyone who has a child who loves Dora's starcatcher). It is a bit slower and longer than what we Americans are used to, but is is a charming story with pretty illustrations and perfect music. So many themes are touched in this film-children moving, helping others, adventures in the world or sky. I will be searching out more in this series. I had chanced upon it at Walmart and was pleasantly surprized. I recommend it"