Film reviews: Edie, The Breadwinner, The Little Vampire and Show Dogs

EDIE (Cert 12A, 101mins), Rating: 3/5

She runs away to fulfil an ambition: to climb Mount Suilven in the Highlands.

Luckily when she arrives at Inverness train station, the first person she bumps into is big-hearted camping shop owner and experienced climber Jonny (Kevin Guthrie).

After some persuasion he agrees to prepare her for the expedition.

The dialogue can be heavy-handed and the banter weak but a sprightly performance from its 85-year-old star ensures it peaks with a touching finale.

THE BREADWINNER (Cert 12A, 93mins), Rating: 4/5 

IRELAND’S Cartoon Saloon has already received two Oscar nominations for The Secret Of Kells and Song Of The Sea and this gritty animation about life under the Taliban deserves to make it a hat-trick.

It is based on Deborah Ellis’s award-winning young adult novel and tells the compelling story of a resourceful 11-year-old Afghan girl called Parvana.

After her father is imprisoned she cuts her hair short and dresses as a boy so she can provide for her mother and two siblings.

Visually the film is hugely impressive. For the main narrative, director Nora Twomey employs the hand-drawn animation used to such poetic effect by the studio’s previous Oscar-nominated films.

But whenever Parvana seeks refuge in storytelling, we switch to a more folksy cut-out style of traditional puppet theatre.

The Breadwinner is clever, beautiful and extremely powerful but parents should take note of the 12A rating.

If your children are especially sensitive, this will make for a very challenging trip to the cinema.

THE LITTLE VAMPIRE (Cert U, 82mins), Rating: 2/5

IF your children can’t wait for July and Adam Sandler’s Hotel Transylvania 3, this clunky animation might fill a hole.

It is based on the books of Angela Sommer-Bodenburg and tells the story of an American boy who makes an unusual friend while holidaying with his parents in the Black Forest.

Shortly after noting the strange garlic obsession of their German hosts, Tony Thompson (voiced by Amy Saville) gets a flying visit from Rudolph (Rasmus Hardiker), a vampire whose 300th celebration of his 13th birthday was interrupted by a vampire hunter (Downton Abbey actor Jim Carter).

The dialogue is flat and the animation is workmanlike but it is quirky and pacy enough to keep younger children quiet.

SHOW DOGS (Cert PG, 92 mins), Rating 3/5

Miss Congeniality gets a decidedly hairy makeover in a barking family comedy.

A macho rottweiler police dog (voiced by rapper Chris “Ludacris” Bridges) is forced to partner up with human FBI agent Frank (Will Arnett) and go undercover at a Las Vegas dog show used as a front for trafficking exotic animals.

This is not director Raja Gosnell’s first dog show. After two live-action Scooby-Doo films and Beverly Hills Chihuahua, he knows that slapstick and rude jokes are the easiest ways to get children to roll over.

Parents might find themselves whimpering to be let off the leash until a French dog called Philippe flounces on to the stage.

Stanley Tucci’s wonderfully camp voice performance should make adults sit up and stay.