diskutant As most germans at a certain age I grew up with the anime series, which I rewatched a few months ago. It's still great. This movie not so much though. Just 100 minutes are too short for the story. It starts with the Grandfather not wanting Heidi with him. But the next moment he wants her to stay. The development of the characters and their bonding is missing. It just happens out of the blue. The part in Frankfurt you get no idea how Heidi suffers because of Rottenmeier, or that Heidi is missing the hills so sadly. This happens with every other story element. The movie just starts one topic and finishes it in the next scene, but the viewer doesn't even know why. The most baffling scene is at the end, when Klara suddenly starts to walk, before it wasn't even mentioned this could be something to hope for. All this means the movie is missing all emotions the story has to offer. I think with like 30 minutes more, the movie could be so much better.It's quite sad, because the scenery of the alps and the village are really beautiful and are done with attention to details. It's beautiful to watch.

patriciagoldsworthy When I rented this movie, I thought it could never be as wonderful as the 1930's version starring Shirley Temple. This was an amazing movie and pulls at your heart strings. Worth seeing for the beautiful visuals indoors and out. Heidi reminds us that the simple things in life are what make life worthwhile. Thank & Grow Rich Pam Grout

zengesther It's the first time for me to write a review. But I'm very much moved by this movie.I haven't read the original book, and I read the previous review saying this is supposed to be a movie for children and she doesn't see her son/daughter laugh. I think this is too harsh for the movie.The scenes are cast as beautiful as it can be, reflecting the pure innocence of the kids for sure. The pure affection among kids are well cast through their innocent smiles. What touched me the most was the nostalgia that Heidi had towards her mountains, and the soft bread that she saved for Peter's grandmother. I hated peter for a while, but the moment he helped Clara stand up. I can see the cute part of a child when he pushed down Clara's wheelchair. If I have to pick some imperfections in this movie, it would be the quite abrupt ending. Suddenly, Clara can move perfectly, and Heiti got a blank notebook to fill her stories. This setting is diluting the innocence in the movie. Another part, is the relationship between Heiti and her grandfather was only emphasized in the very beginning and left unattended since Clara appears.

Michi Moesenbacher Because of the excellent reviews, I have to admit my expectations for the movie were quite high. Yes it is beautifully filmed and overall enjoyable, but ... It is supposed to be a children movie. I did not once during the entire movie hear either my son or one other child in the cinema laugh and for that the 100 mins are quite long. Of course, the story is not complete, you could not bring it all into a movie. But still, I left the cinema with the feeling, that I did see a cute girl (she could not have been cast better!) which is being pushed from here to there and she can not do much to influence her fate. Luckily it all turns out well in the end. However, I did NOT see the stubborn little girl who is feeding the animals, talking to the trees, rescuing a baby bird, reading to grandmother, saving Schnucki by feeding her only the best mountain herbs and pushing not only Peter but also her own grandfather to be the best persons they can be. I missed Josef - the dog and the general good heartiness of various human characters. Overally they all seemed a little hollow to me. I have to admit, I never read the original book, but this is what I would have expected from my childhood memories about Heidi. I am sorry to say, the movie raised expectations that were not met as far as I am concerned. I am not sure that children will fall in love with that movie in the same way many children still do when they see the old TV series.