LAURA'S STAR aka LAURA'S STERN

Year: 2004
UK: Warner Bros
Cast (voices of): Maximilian Artajo, Peter Fitz, Hildegard Krekel, Eva Mattes, Mirco Nontschew, Martin Reinl, Heinrich Schafmeister, Celine Vogt, Mogens von Gadow
Directors: Piet De Rycker, Thilo Rothkirch
Countries: Germany / Bulgaria
UK: 80 mins
UK Certificate: U contains very mild peril
UK Release Date: 11 February 2005

Synopsis

First published in 1996, Klaus Baumgart's children's books about Laura and her star have sold more than 2 million copies worldwide and been translated into 25 languages.

Seven year-old Laura likes to play in her cardboard rocket, imagining she is travelling through space. She dodges meteorites that resemble chairs, cupboards, toys and even a cello case that are orbiting Earth. To escape this chaos, Laura sets the rocket's controls for outer space. This is where she really enjoys herself - she feels at home amongst the brightest stars.

But when her dreams come back to reality, Laura finds herself back in her new bedroom surrounded by removal boxes. Laura and her family - mum, dad and little brother Tommy - have all moved to the city, to an apartment with a large deck roof.

Missing her old neighbourhood, Laura is unhappy. The one night she looks up to the starry sky. Suddenly one star seems to respond, shoots across the sky to Laura and falls into the nearby park, leaving behind a shimmering trail of meteor dust. Laura watches where it has fallen and runs off to find it in the park. It has been hurt.

She takes the little star home and makes it her friend by helping the star to fix his broken prong with a band-aid. Laura is so happy to have a very special friend but soon she discovers that the longer this star stays on Earth with her, the more it loses its magic power. So Laura has to learn that friendship sometimes means giving away the brightest treasures.