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Movies / On DVD / The Little Vampire
The Little Vampire

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The Little Vampire (1999)

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Reviews Counted:64

Fresh:34

Rotten:30

Average Rating:5.5/10

Consensus: The Little Vampire can't seem to find the right pitch, with its muddled, jumpy script and badly executed mix of cuteness and fright.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] some mild peril

Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:Oct 27, 2000 Wide

Box Office: $13,432,508

Synopsis: Every night, since his family moved from San Diego to Scotland, little Tony Thompson dreams the same dream. A full moon hangs in the distance, bathing a lush green cliff with beams of magical... Every night, since his family moved from San Diego to Scotland, little Tony Thompson dreams the same dream. A full moon hangs in the distance, bathing a lush green cliff with beams of magical light. An enclave of vampires gather, waiting for the arrival of a comet. As the comet hurls across the sky, to align with the Moon, the head vampire raises his hand. Clutching an ancient golden amulet, he begins an incantation. Suddenly, a vampire hunter, hell-bent on capturing and destroying the creatures, rushes forward, knocking the jeweled piece from his grasp into sea below. The head vampire leaps over the cliff to retrieve the amulet, only to fall down, down, down into little Tony's bed.

Life couldn't be tougher for the nine year old - a new country, a new school and, now, he can't sleep. What's worse then being the new kid on the block? His classmates constantly tease him. Nigel and Flint, nephews of his father's boss, Lord McAshton, routinely beat him up. His teacher thinks he's strange, obsessed with vampires. And, he can't seem to make any friends. With no one to play with, what's a kid to do? You guessed it. Emulate the only beings that visit him every night - vampires.

While his parents are at an evening reception introducing the new golf course his father is designing for Lord McAshton, Tony plays in his room, sporting fangs and a cape. He has a strange encounter as a bat flies in the window and transforms into a nine year old Vampire. Rudolph, who has mistaken Tony for one of his kind, is in a weakened state. Lack of food and being chased by the villainous vampire hunter, Rookery, has taken its toll on the littlest of vampires.

Taking pity on the hungry young vamp, Tony helps Rudolph find nourishment by leading him to a cow. We learn that vampires don’t feed on humans anymore because bite marks on somebody’s throat could expose his family’s existence, bringing them certain death. In exchange for saving his life, Rudolph treats Tony to a flying lesson. Rudolph skillfully guides his new friend back to the safety of his room and ends up spending the night in Tony’s toy chest that serves as sanctuary against the powerful rays of the sun and the terrifying Rookery. Finally, Tony has a real friend. One that he can count on.

The next evening, Rudolph takes Tony on another night flight to his home, a cemetery a short distance away. Rudolph tells Tony that his nightly dream is true. Every 300 years a comet aligns with the moon. If the vampires can assemble, hold the jeweled amulet to the sky, and repeat the magic spell, legend states that they will find peace and become humans again. But their eternal wish seems for naught. They possess only a portion of the amulet and the comet is due to align with the moon the next night!

With the power of true love and friendship as his only weapons, Tony races against time to defeat the vampire slayer and to help the little vampire become human again! [More]

Starring: Jonathan Lipnicki, Richard E. Grant, Alice Krige, Anna Popplewell

Starring: Jonathan Lipnicki, Richard E. Grant, Alice Krige, Anna Popplewell, Rollo Weeks, Jim Carter, John Wood, Pamela Gidley, Tommy Hinkley

Director: Uli Edel

Director: Uli Edel
Screenwriter: Nicholas Waller, Karey Kirkpatrick, Larry Wilson
Producer: Richard Claus
Studio: New Line Cinema

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Mar 6, 2001

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for The Little Vampire

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1 - 20 (sorted by source)
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Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Anchorage Press | comment Comment
06/11/01
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Anchorage Press

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
07/19/01
Brian Webster
Brian Webster
Apollo Guide

It's an occupational hazard that you actually have to try to think about movies like this, which just get weirder and weirder the more you consider them.

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
01/27/05
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

It offers imagination and humor and a touch of goose bumps.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
01/01/00
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The basic idea which drives this jolly film, along with Lipnicki's charm, is sometimes almost enough.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
01/01/00
Michael Thomson
Michael Thomson
BBC

The film reminds us that Harry Potter isn't the whole story in children's literature, reversing the usual vampire movie cliches and advancing a few morals about tolerating differences.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Jay Carr
Jay Carr
Boston Globe
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A sprightly romp, funny, full of life lessons, and scary.

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
03/24/02
Tom Meek
Tom Meek
Boston Phoenix

Successfully subverts traditional representations of the undead.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Chris Wiegand
Chris Wiegand
Boxoffice Magazine

Watchable family films are so rare these days that we shouldn't put a stake through one with so much heart.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Lawrence Toppman
Lawrence Toppman
Charlotte Observer

Vampire cows provide comic relief and many of the scares in this respectfully dark yet optimistic story about a lonely child who befriends a vampire.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
10/21/09
Lisa Alspector
Lisa Alspector
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The costumes are neat, the photography is great -- all the pieces are on hand, but they don't fit.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An odd little ghoul too cleaned up to survive, a bloodless vampire movie that's mostly lifeless as well.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Michael Wilmington
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A quirky jaunt that will tickle the frontal lobes of any kid who's currently devouring the similar Harry Potter series.

Full Review Source: Citysearch | comment Comment
01/01/00
Sean O'Connell
Sean O'Connell
Citysearch

If you're expecting Haagen Dazs, prepare for ice milk instead. It's not a horrible film, but it's not a good one, either.

Full Review Source: CNN.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Paul Clinton (CNN.com)
Paul Clinton (CNN.com)
CNN.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Even the good moments get sucked into the bizarre black holes of the story.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
01/01/00
Nancy Churnin
Nancy Churnin
Dallas Morning News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Cute and precocious in those little round specs, [Lipnicki] also grows grating, especially after 94 minutes of delivering the kind of jokes usually found on the bottom of a Dixie Cup.

comment Comment
01/01/00
John Monaghan
John Monaghan
Detroit Free Press

This chomper is too kid-comedy-ish to cater to adults and a tad too scary for the little ones.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
01/01/00
E! Online

It's refreshing to see a kids' film taking on such sinister subject matter.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Lizo Mzimba
Lizo Mzimba
Empire Magazine

A nightmare of blandness.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A surprisingly enjoyable film that its young target audience will love, while their parents will find it quite tolerable indeed.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com
 
 
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