Alternative Title: Help! I’ve Shrunk the Family
Bos Bros. Film & TV Productions
Starring: Geza Weisz, Sasha Mylanus, Kee Ketelaar
Also Starring:  Abatutu
Directed by: Tim Oliehoek

Cat Out of the Bag Alert!  This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: Based on the children’s book by Annie M. G. Schmidt.  A family is surprised when a tiny man named Wiplala (Geza Weisz) emerges from their cupboard and ends up accidentally shrinking them all down to his size.

Featured Feline: The family’s feline named Vlieg (Fly in English, played by cat actor Abatutu) is seen in the beginning of the film playing with the young boy Johannes (Sasha Mylanus).  Vlieg is sitting in the window as Johannes picks him up.

Vlieg runs downstairs when Johannes’ older sister Nella Della (Kee Ketelaar) comes home.  She greets Vlieg but not her brother.

Johannes notices Vlieg pawing at a hole in the back of the cupboard and stuffs a wad of newspaper in the hole.

Later Vlieg is in Johannes’ room lying on the boy’s bed.

Nella Della walks in and talks to Johannes for a moment.  When she gets up to leave, she calls back to Vlieg who follows her out of the room.

Having seen the tiny man in the cupboard earlier, Johannes goes downstairs in the middle of the night to look around.  He sees Vlieg run at something and then there is a burst of light.

Johannes is shocked to see that Vlieg is now completely stiff, looking like a bad taxidermy job.

Wiplala has “betwinkled” the cat and when Johannes insists he “unbetwinkle” him the little man ends up turning the cat to stone instead.  At the end of the film, Wiplala finally “unbetwinkles” Vlieg.

Final Mewsings: Cats do not care to be betwinkled.

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