''Next Door Spy'' ( da, Nabospionen)—also known as ''Agathe Christine: Next Door Spy''—is a 2017 Danish
traditionally animated
Traditional animation (or classical animation, cel animation, or hand-drawn animation) is an animation technique in which each frame is drawn by hand. The technique was the dominant form of animation in cinema until computer animation.
Pro ...
detective film written and directed by Karla von Bengtson (in her
feature directorial debut).
Released on 10 August 2017 by Copenhagen Bombay, an English
dub was released on 16 June 2020 by TriCoast Entertainment. Despite the film's name, the plot has no relation to any of
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...
's detective novels.
Premise
Agathe Christine, or AC as she calls herself, wants to become a real
detective
A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads th ...
, and establishes her own makeshift detective bureau in the basement of her home. One day, she meets a mysterious boy, Vincent, in a local shop, leading her to devote her full time and energy to surveilling him.
Voice cast
The Danish voice cast for the film.
*Simone Edemann Møgelbjerg as Agathe "AC" Christine
*Oliver Bøtcher Herlevsen as Vincent
*Kristine Sloth as Sanne
*Anne-Grethe Bjarup Riis as Mor
*Søs Egelind as Varanen
*
Tommy Kenter as Kiosk-Arne
*
Dar Salim
Dar Salim (born 18 August 1977) is a Danish actor. He received a Bodil Award nomination in the category Best Actor for the film ''Go With Peace, Jamil'' in 2008.
Early life
Dar Salim was born in Baghdad, Iraq. He fled to Denmark as a six-year-ol ...
as Vincent's father
*Albert Rudbeck Lindhardt as Vincent's brother
*Harald Kaiser Hermann as skater boy
*Mille Lunderskov as
selfie girl
*Viggo Bengtson as Lillebror Bertil
*
Annevig Schelde Ebbe as the GPS voice
Release and reception
''Next Door Spy'' was released in Danish cinemas on 10 August 2017 by Copenhagen Bombay.
An English
dub was released on 16 June 2020 by TriCoast Entertainment.
Critically, it received generally positive reviews in Denmark,
but foreign reception was mixed. The story and characters received praise, but criticism was directed at the English dub's profanity and the talking lizard character as unnecessary.
Jacob Wendt Jensen, writing for ''
Berlingske'', gave the film five out of six stars, stating that the plot "is both exciting, charming and offers surprises," further adding "''Next Door Spy'' can engage anyone who has the heart and their curiosity in the cinema."
Bobby LePire of ''
Film Threat
''Film Threat'' is an online film review publication, and earlier, a national magazine that focused primarily on independent film, although it also reviewed videos and DVDs of mainstream films, as well as Hollywood movies in theaters. It first ...
'', who gave the film a more critical score of one out of ten, was particularly critical of Agathe Christine's mother, stating that her not trying to understand Agathe's detective hobby made her "one of the worst, most unsympathetic parents in any movie who does not actively abuse or neglect their offspring."
References
External links
*
''Next Door Spy''at the
Danish Broadcasting Corporation (in Danish)
*{{Rotten Tomatoes, next_door_spy
2017 films
2017 animated films
2010s children's animated films
2017 directorial debut films
Danish animated films
Danish children's films
Danish detective films