Cornelia Funke is my favourite author, due to her natural characters, rich imagination & the vivid scenes she paints. (In the imagination.) Yet I had no idea The Thief Lord was being made & only discovered by chance that it was on release. Very minimal publicity indeed compared to the over-hyped Harry Potter films. As a fan I wondered if it had suffered under the film-makers' knife. Whether it had been drastically altered. Well, there is occasional alteration & several scenes cut, but otherwise one of the more faithful adaptations. I was impressed by Scipio in particular, but I thought everyone was good. The adults were a little OTT, but not bad. Archers fans will recognise the distinctive voice of "Lynda Snell" (Carol Boyd) as the aunt. The score is dramatic & the effects wondrous. I'd rather see this than Harry Potter any day. Thief Lord has genuine heart & doesn't rely on constant flash & show. It's real storytelling for a change. It's just a shame it will be lost beneath the heavyweights of X3 & The Wild. 9/10
Review of The Thief Lord
