Lotte & Totte – My First Friend
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Detailed parental analysis
Lotte and Totte is a warm and luminous film for young audiences, rooted in the everyday world of small children. The story follows Lotte, a little girl who must face loneliness after moving house, and her meeting with Totte, her very first friend. The film is clearly aimed at young children, around three to seven years old, and their parents.
Underlying Values
The film places three complementary values at the heart of its narrative: the ability to overcome loneliness, the courage to acknowledge one's wrongs, and the strength to repair a damaged friendship. Lotte goes too far in a creative game shared with Totte, which leads to the destruction of their den and a painful rift between the two children. The film does not downplay the fault or the other's pain: it shows that making amends requires real effort, and that friendship is also built through navigating conflict. It is a solid and nuanced message for a very young audience, one that goes beyond the simple moral of 'say sorry'.
Social Themes
The family move and its emotional consequences for the child form the starting point of the narrative. Lotte is convinced she will never make new friends, a feeling of isolation treated with sincerity and without condescension. This theme speaks directly to children who have experienced or are experiencing a similar transition, and offers a concrete foundation for discussing it as a family.
Strengths
The film succeeds in addressing complex emotions for its target age group, notably shame, fear of rejection and the desire to make amends, without ever weighing down the narrative. The storytelling is simple and clear for very young children, whilst offering parents genuine angles for discussion. The emotional intelligence of the story is its principal strength: it does not resolve conflicts through magic, but through a credible inner journey.
Age recommendation and discussion points
The film is suitable from three or four years old, ideally watched in the company of an adult for the youngest viewers. Two angles for discussion lend themselves naturally to it: asking the child how they feel when they arrive somewhere new without knowing anyone, and exploring together what one can do when one has hurt someone you love, even unintentionally.
Synopsis
Four-year-old Lotte moves to the country with her parents. She misses her friends and the apartment building that used to be her home. Her baby brother screams and cries and is allowed to do all sorts of things that she’s not. If only she could just give him away and move back to the city! But then Lotte meets Totte, who lives next door with his delightful Grandma. Together they bake cakes and go on adventures with Totte’s cat – in the backyard and at the beach. Until one day, a game ends in a fight.
About this title
- Format
- Feature film
- Year
- 2025
- Runtime
- 1h 5m
- Countries
- Denmark
- Original language
- DA
- Directed by
- Mia Fridthjof
- Main cast
- Smilla Fridthjof, Bastian Lykke Raben, Marie Askehave, Rasmus Bjerg, Bodil Jørgensen, Mia Lyhne
- Studios
- B-Water Animation Studios
Content barometer
- Violence0/5None
- Fear1/5Mild
- Sexuality0/5None
- Language0/5None
- Narrative complexity0/5Simple
- Adult themes0/5None