Wonderful character development!

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

I've just seen this film on a festival, and having grown up in the Eighties, I enjoyed it a lot. (And I wonder whether it gets screened a lot these days, encouraging children to found secret pirate clubs, run away and have adventures...) Those were the days: running around without safety helmets and mobile phones, climbing trees, and even catching live chicken --! Well, that's about it in the action department, and that's why the movie depicts a great and believable children's adventure. The young (and especially the elderly) actors did a very endearing performance, and the story unfolds without hectic and really engaging.Maybe a bit too long for real children, but worth seeing!