Best movie ever!

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

As most germans at a certain age I grew up with the anime series, which I rewatched a few months ago. It's still great. This movie not so much though. Just 100 minutes are too short for the story. It starts with the Grandfather not wanting Heidi with him. But the next moment he wants her to stay. The development of the characters and their bonding is missing. It just happens out of the blue. The part in Frankfurt you get no idea how Heidi suffers because of Rottenmeier, or that Heidi is missing the hills so sadly. This happens with every other story element. The movie just starts one topic and finishes it in the next scene, but the viewer doesn't even know why. The most baffling scene is at the end, when Klara suddenly starts to walk, before it wasn't even mentioned this could be something to hope for. All this means the movie is missing all emotions the story has to offer. I think with like 30 minutes more, the movie could be so much better.It's quite sad, because the scenery of the alps and the village are really beautiful and are done with attention to details. It's beautiful to watch.

When I rented this movie, I thought it could never be as wonderful as the 1930's version starring Shirley Temple. This was an amazing movie and pulls at your heart strings. Worth seeing for the beautiful visuals indoors and out. Heidi reminds us that the simple things in life are what make life worthwhile. Thank & Grow Rich Pam Grout

I could NOT WAIT to get this DVD! Being a huge fan of anything HEIDI I have several film versions in my collection. I first heard of this movie early last year (2016) when it was first released in Europe with the actors speaking German. Sadly, I don't speak German so I hoped it would come out in an English version. This is it (along with the same film dubbed in French)! It's one of the absolute best versions of HEIDI that's been made and really sticks close to the original tale by Johanna Spyri. There are some subtle changes to the story but nothing I found annoying. The little actress Anuk Steffen is absolutely perfect as the young heroine and Bruno Ganz is wonderful as Heidi's beloved Grandfather. One thing I loved was the addition of a small back story on Heidi's friend Klara, played by Isabelle Ottmann. The strict governess Fraulein Rottenmeier (Katharine Schuttler) was a delightfully comic character and I really enjoyed the performances of Peter Lohmeyer and Jella Haase as Sebastian the butler and Tinette the French maid! Young Quirin Agrippi rounds out the cast as Heidi's best friend Peter. I will be recommending this lovely film to my friends and family! Enjoy!

"Heidi" is a new German(-language) film that brings back Johanna Spyri's title character to the big screen, a little girl who discovers how much she loves live at the countryside/in the mountains. Unfortunately, her aunt(?) who took care of her after Heidi's mother's death is not exactly a great talent in terms of upbringing and literally sells her to a family in the city of Frankfurt, who are looking for a companion for her wheelchair-bound daughter. It certainly is a tough decision who's worse: Fräulein Rottenmeier or Dete? These two sure make Heidi suffer a lot. This movie here has quite a few big names in terms of German cinema: Schüttler, Haase, Mehmet, Lohmeyer are all well-known here and then of course there is Bruno Ganz, who is a big star abroad as well.However, let's not forget the child actors. I thought the trio did a good job. They all showed that they have talent in terms of acting and that they were deserving to play major characters in such a big film. Nice choices by the casting directors. The story is good as well. I must say that the emotional moments could have needed better elaboration sometimes, like Öhi growing closer to Heidi or when Klara suddenly is able to walk at the end. Then again, this is all seen and displayed through the eyes of children and for them it's more about discovering something new than about feeling something. And it's certainly not that they were free of all emotion, just a case of "is good, but could have been great". There are also funny moments in there. More severe scenes like Peter beating the goats or destroying the wheelchair are mitigated by the "sharing cheese and ham" talk and the boy's guilty conscience.The movie runs for roughly 105 minutes which is fairly long for a kids movie, but nothing that breaks records or anything. If your kids have the attention span, this film is certainly worth a watch. Maybe my lack of emotional response also has to do with me living in cities for my entire life. People who lived in the countryside or even in the mountains may respond even more positive to this film than I did. Of course, I still managed to enjoy the beautiful scenery and animals in here in the first and last chapters in the mountains. Good movie. Not among year-best for me, but I recommend it.