When the infamous Robber Hotzenplotz leaves his hideout in the forest to steal a beloved musical coffee grinder belonging to Kasperl’s grandmother, the town’s clumsy police sergeant proves to be of little help with arresting him. The young Kasperl and his friend Seppel decide that they will track down the thief themselves, but stopping him will not be easy – especially when Hotzenplotz involves the wicked magician Petrosilius who lives in a terrifying castle where he will imprison our heroes. Joined by a fairy-turned-toad, Kasperl and Seppel must escape the castle, catch the two vicious crooks, and bring the coffee grinder back to Kasperl’s beloved grandmother!
Acting
August Diehl devouring scenery as unhinged magician Zwackelmann
Production
Gloriously grotesque castle sets that smell like old crayons
Costume
Hotzenplotz's chaotic bandit chic deserves its own fashion line
Director
Michael Krummenacher
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Based on Otfried Preußler's 1962 novel, a cornerstone of German childhood literacy that Gen X and Millennial Germans can quote by heart.
This is the first feature adaptation to cast Hotzenplotz as genuinely menacing rather than cartoonish—Nicholas Ofczarek reportedly studied silent film villains to find the right physicality.
DE
