Such a frustrating disappointment

hyped garbage

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Three children in Australia, Chris, Jeremy, and Isabelle, have lost their beloved father. Their newly single mother is struggling with her dual roles as mother and chief breadwinner. Therefore, Chris is put in charge on the day that she needs to go away on business. Chris leads his younger siblings to town, where they are to enjoy a rare breakfast at a restaurant. But, they see a large, wildlife tent run by Wolf (Richard E. Grant) and can't resist the chance to go inside. Once there, they see many animals, including a duck that LOOKS like Hildegarde, their much-loved pet bird. Racing home to check on Hildegarde and her nest in a nearby pond, they discover that, indeed, Hildegarde is missing and her eggs are in danger. But, Wolf moves on to a neighboring town with Hildegarde and company. How can the kids get their pet back? And, what are Wolf's intentions toward the animals under his care, anyway? This is a terrific family film that will please everyone who sits down to take it in. The children are very winning and the darling duck, although not on the screen nearly enough, is an absolute joy to watch. Grant, a wonderfully talented British actor, plays the heavy here with ease. The scenes in Australia feel familiar and exotic at the same time and the film looks very well-made and attractive. If you love animals, you can't miss this one. But, in truth, families forever searching for suitable films for their brood will find Hildegarde an outstanding and touching choice. It's certain that, after a showing, everyone will be waddling off to bed in a happy, happy mood.

Hildegarde was a very well put together family film. \It had the elements of a "quest" in that the children's pet duck was stolen and they went off to get it back. It had a villain, and a sub-plot where the mother was coming to terms with the loss of her husband and trying to keep the family together.Well cast and a good script.Chris.

It's nice to see a film that's not violent and has positive messages aimed at kids. This film is charming and funny, with plenty of adventure and drama. Everyone will love the duck in the title role. She's so cute.The Australian countryside is beautiful to look at, the performances are great, especially Richard E Grant as the villain.It will be especially good for little kids because although it's dramatic, it's not scary, like so many violent kids films today.

This film reminded me of the sort of thing we'd see at Saturday Morning Kids club; independent 'ordinary' children, trying to solve their own problems and taking on the 'baddies'.Its plot is built around a widow, her 3 children and a duck. Whilst mum is trying to hold down a job the children try to help. Enter a bird-poacher whose dream is to own a beach-bar. In order to finance his scheme, with his young side-kick, he catches and sells exotic birds. The duck is kidnapped for use in his decoy operation - a wildlife sideshow. All the children want is their duck back.Richard E Grant plays the obnoxious Wolf, a scruffy bully, with a high opinion of his ability to impress the opposite sex and a low opinion about everything else.Enough to say it's a good film that hits its target audience without leaving adults cringing (except at the state of REG's feet!). It's a shame that it could not have had a general cinema release. My children were rivetted and I was pleased that, for once, they weren't watching a cartoon.