Ole Lund Kirkegaard was a Danish author of children’s books. He died in 1979 but many of his books are still highly regarded. One of his more famous creations, Albert, has been adapted into an animated film which Shout Factory is bringing to North America on DVD. Albert Up, Up And Away! tells the story of a small town’s most clever resident, Albert, and his best friend Egon as they embark on their greatest adventure.
The first 20 minutes of Albert Up, Up And Away! establish the title character beginning with his birth, moving on to his accidental destruction of the statue in the town square, and more. It gets a bit heavy-handed with exposition but ultimately sets up everything viewers need to know about the two main characters.
About halfway through the film we are introduced to the third main character as featured on the DVD’s cover. The plot involves Albert and Egon venturing forth front their small town and getting caught up with some crooks and a diamond theft. What I didn’t like about the film is the storytelling was a bit simplistic, but for younger kids this is certainly a grand adventure.
Arnold dreams of being a great hot air balloon captain, a theme that runs throughout the film as well as being part of the reason they leave town (the town statue Arnold was the cause of destruction was of a hot air balloon captain). There are plot holes abound, which underscores how simplistic things are and who the target audience is for this film.
I wanted to like the film more, but I just couldn’t. My five year old, however, enjoyed the film immensely.At an hour and 15 minutes this almost feels like the pilot episode for what should be a television series “Albert And His Hot Air Balloon”.
There are no special features on the DVD other than the film’s trailer.