Aug 1, 2023

Heroes aren’t necessarily what they’re cracked up to be in this gentle watch that has all the right messaging Last modified on Tue 1 Aug 2023 02.10 EDT This sweet, good-natured kids animation from Norway has impeccable Scandi values. It’s a superhero cartoon with the egalitarian message that maybe superheroes aren’t all they’re cracked up to be: all me-me-me and obsessed with their own awesomeness. Wouldn’t it be better if everyone pulled together as a community? Just Super is set in a small town, home to an 11-year-old girl called Hedvig (voiced by Reilley Ott). The big secret in Hedvig’s family is that for generations the eldest child becomes the town’s superhero, Super Lion. Hedvig’s dad, a strapping specimen of Viking manliness (Jean Luc Julien), is the current incarnation. All the Super Lions wear the same costume that has been handed down since the year dot, a ribbed wool onesie in beige that magnifies the wearer’s natural skills into superpowers. The trouble for little Hedvig is that she doesn’t appear to have any skills to magnify. She’s not strong or clever, and she trips over her own feet. Hedvig’s dad wonders if the woolly costume should instead go to her show-offy cousin. The good news is that Norway being one of the safest countries in the world, most of the town’s emergencies seem lemur-related (one of the little critters has escaped from the zoo). The low-level stakes make Just Super a gentle watch for little kids. And there’s a lot to like. Perhaps owing to the fact that Norway – that gleaming northern utopia – is one of the world’s most equal as well as safest countries, it feels feminist by instinct; no annoyingly laboured girl power on show here. Less original is the “be yourself” message, which even five-year-olds kids may groan at. And at points I did wonder if it’s a teeny bit lacking in fun. Like a week of eating lentils, you know it’s good for you, but a little bit of dullness creeps in. Just Super is released on 4 August in UK cinemas. Topics