Antboy

Pelle Nohrmann (Dietz) is an average 12-year-old boy.  He doesn't have friends and tends to blend into the background.  One day, while hiding from bullies, he is bitten by an ant.  The ant gives him superpowers and a craving for sugar.  His classmate, Wilhelm (Ting Graf) is a comic book fan, and helps him create an alter-ego: Antboy.

Antboy starts to fight crime in their hometown and attracts media attention.  Meanwhile, a new adult supervillain emerges: the Flea (Bro).  Can Pelle protect his identity and save the town from the Flea?



Based on the comic Antboy by Kenneth Bøgh Andersen.  Andersen started writing Antboy comics in 2007.  This film marks the feature film debut of director Ask Hasselbalch, who previously directed short films.  Both the comics and film are in Danish.

Hasselbalch won the Robert Award for Best Children's Film (Robert Prisen for årets børne- og ungdomsfilm) in 2014.  The Robert Awards are awarded by the Danish Film Academy and are Denmark's equivalent to the Oscars.

I discovered this film through Netflix.  The film is in Danish, but Netflix shows the English dubbed version (which can be confusing when the voices and mouths do not match).  The film is an adolescent superhero story.  It is short and moves quickly without feeling rushed.  The film is rated PG and manages to keep the language to a minimum, making it suitable for a wider (and younger) audience.  It is entertaining, but will probably appeal to a younger crowd.

The film has 2 sequels: Antboy: Revenge of the Red Fury (2014) and Antboy 3 (2016).  The main cast returns for each film and Hasselbalch is remains in the directors chair.  The screenplay for all three films is written by Anders Olholm.

Antboy (2013) 76 minutes
Director: Ask Hasselbalch
Starring: Oscar Dietz as Pelle Nohrmann / Antboy
Amalie Kruse Jensen as Ida
Samuel Ting Graf as Wilhelm
Nicolas Bro as Dr. Gaemelkra / Loppen
Cecilie Alstrup Tarp as Amanda
Caspar Phillipson as Hr. Sommersted