Shadows on the Wall | Grand Prix of Europe

Grand Prix of Europe

dir Waldemar Fast
prd Michael Mack
scr Kirstie Falkous, Jeffrey Hylton, John T Reynolds, Ben Alexander Safier
voices Gemma Arterton, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Hayley Atwell, Lenny Henry, Rob Beckett, Colin McFarlane, DJ Bobo, David Menkin, Ayesha Antoine, Joseph Balderrama, Guillaume Laroche, Petra Letang
release Ger 24.Jul.25,
UK/US 22.Aug.25
25/Germany 1h38

Is it streaming?

Detailed, brightly colourful animation and energetic characters make this animated motor racing romp enjoyable, even if most of the jokes fall just short of the mark. This is largely due to awkwardly overwrought slapstick that infuses even the quieter scenes in the movie. But there are some visually impressive set-pieces as the story stages a series of wacky races around a version of Europe populated by various critters.

Aspiring racer Edda (Arterton) works at an amusement park her father (Henry) runs on the outskirts of Paris. She cheers on her hero Ed (Brodie-Sangster) as he begins the 50th Grand Prix of Europe. But Edda's overzealous fandom leaves Ed injured, so she secretly drives his car with him guiding her by earpiece. The problem is that Ed is a hyper-focussed control freak. And there's also a cackling villain sabotaging the four-stage race, which moves from France to Switzerland, Italy and finally London. In addition, organiser Cindy (Atwell) has fiendish obstacles planned along the route.

As grey mice, Ed and Edda are able to swap places with minimal disguises, which allows for witty misunderstandings and discoveries. Other racers include shadowy raven Nachtkrabb (McFarlane), jolly Swedish bear Magnus (Menkin) and Swiss goat Bockli (Bobo). Each of these play into the narrative, as does Edda's dad, a former Grand Prix driver himself. And there's also the amusement park's nearsighted fortune teller Rosa (Antoine) and handyman bull Jorge (Balderrama).

Oddly, these characters all have human-shaped bodies and clothing with animal heads and hands. Even though it makes little sense, this allows for some witty juxtapositions and lots of brightly hued silliness as sparky personalities clash against each other. The story moves at a very brisk pace, with visually involving action set-pieces that are packed with wildly ridiculous touches. For example, Cindy's obstacles include lightning bolts, giant snowballs and enormous mechanised tentacles. No wonder Edda comments that Cindy's budget is clearly out of hand.

So while there's little about this nutty movie that makes much sense, it's at least amusing enough to keep us smiling. And young kids will most likely enjoy the busy pace of the exaggerated mayhem. There are even some nice messages woven into the story, including the way Ed learns that there might be happier ways to live than being a loner who only wants to do things in the most perfect way possible. There's a lot more fun to be had just going for a random drive with your friends.

themes, violence 17.Aug.25

R E A D E R R E V I E W S

Still waiting for your comments ... don't be shy.