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Emil and the Detectives

Play trailer Poster for Emil and the Detectives Released Dec 18, 1964 1h 39m Kids & Family Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
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83% Tomatometer 6 Reviews 45% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
A 12-year-old (Bryan Russell) employs a group of street-wise youngsters to help him track down a thief.
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Emil and the Detectives

Critics Reviews

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Eugene Archer New York Times [Director Peter Tweksbury] has kept the kiddies from gushing too coyly, suppressed the mugging of a comic trio of thieves, photographed the fresh Berlin setting in effective color, and juxtaposed suspense and wit with a nice, bouncing pace. Dec 2, 2020 Full Review Louis Cook Detroit Free Press The children will howl and grown-ups will look on with smiling indulgence. Dec 2, 2020 Full Review Philip K. Scheuer Los Angeles Times Slezak and his pals, known as the three skrinks, are amusing in their blundering progress and the many kids respond enthusiastically to Peter Tewksbury's direction. Dec 2, 2020 Full Review Joe Lipsett Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr Podcast While the shot-on-location adaptation of Erich Kästner's classic makes Emil and the Detectives feel like a Berlin vacation, the film loses sight of its plucky protagonist in favour of Gustav and raises the stakes far too dramatically (child murder?!) Mar 21, 2023 Full Review Barbara Shulgasser Common Sense Media Kids outsmart criminals in engaging detective story. Rated: 3/5 Jan 23, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (6) audience reviews
Dale R A movie obviously targeted to kids, but still somewhat enjoyable for adults. A bunch of kids in a detective club stumble upon a bank robbery. It reminds me a little of The Goonies, just not as well done. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/07/24 Full Review Russell H Not too bad. Some good, family humor. One of the kid actors sounds like Greg Brady. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 11/03/23 Full Review Audience Member A movie obviously targeted to kids, but still somewhat enjoyable for adults. A bunch of kids in a detective club stumble upon a bank robbery. It reminds me a little of The Goonies, just not as well done. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review r 9 A respectable and watchable film. I do feel 'Emil and the Detectives' could've been bigger and better, there's a load of good ingredients there. With that said, it is still a film that has its pluses. One is how it looks, with cool shots of 1960s Berlin. Another is the humour which is pretty solid. The cast is where it gets underwhelming, not in terms of the actors but just in regards to the characters and their respective developments. Heinz Schubert, Walter Slezak and Peter Ehrlich are suitable choices to portray Grundeis, The Baron and Müller. However, they never really get out of second gear. I personally wanted more from the trio. Then you have the child actors, for which there are many - probably too many as none of them, aside from Emil (Bryan Russell) and Gustav (Roger Mobley), get much development or even serious screen time. As for the premise, it's entertaining. Like with what I've already noted, it's all just a bit safe and mild. It definitely could've been greater. I still had a fun enough time with this, though. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review s r It's potential was squandered on a silly plot that even children won't like. I saw it on Disney + Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member (First and only viewing - In my mid-twenties) Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Emil and the Detectives

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Movie Info

Synopsis A 12-year-old (Bryan Russell) employs a group of street-wise youngsters to help him track down a thief.
Director
Peter Tewksbury
Producer
Walt Disney
Screenwriter
A.J. Carothers
Distributor
Buena Vista
Production Co
Walt Disney Productions
Genre
Kids & Family, Adventure
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 18, 1964, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 1, 2013
Runtime
1h 39m
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