P.S. Paaskynen The real charm of the first Niko movie was the weasel character that with irreverent lines made the somewhat soppy story enjoyable. I especially liked the weasel's song and dance routine.The sequel, unfortunately, as sequels tend to go, reduces on the charm and increases on the cheese.Still, for parents with children, especially those from a broken home, this is not a despicable movie. The characters are on the most part likable and their motives understandable.Still, I would advise viewers to watch the first instalment first, before engaging with this one, since it explains much of the needed backstory, including the mesmerising weasel performance.

MattyGibbs This has recently been on SKY movies in the UK under the name 'The Magic Reindeer'. It follows a young reindeer who is searching for his brother who has been kidnapped. It's a fairly standard tale but is illuminated by some good characters and some gorgeous animation. Unlike many animated tales we are thankfully spared any really annoying characters. There are some genuinely funny moments to go with the usual animated adventure. Rather surprisingly for an animation it does cover the issue of parent separation which I found a bit strange in a children's film, however I don't necessarily think this is a bad idea. I really enjoyed this film and more importantly so did my children who are after all the target audience. An animated film that deserves a wider audience.

hayashimegumi The beautifully animated Niko 2: Little Brother, Big Trouble (2012) is a sensational animated feature from Finland. While I cannot compare this film to the first one as I have not seen it, I could proclaim that this animated feature is not your typical Christmas movie!This Christmasy animated feature touches on issues from separated parents and extended family which not many creators would include in family or festive movies, especially those intended for children. In contrary to popular belief, it isn't a negative or depressing theme at all. In fact, it is quite endearing to watch how these characters accept or get along with each other!Niko 2: Little Brother, Big Trouble (2012) is also fun and amusing. In the beginning, it may appear to be childish for those who are not into family films but truly, this animated feature has the ability to charm the hearts of all ages with its lovely characters! Yes, the plot could be a little confusing to those who have not seen the first one as there is no flashbacks or mentions of incidents from the previous movie but the friendship and family values are strong in this film so it is great for family movie time!Most importantly, what we can learn from this animated feature is that there are certain things that we shouldn't take lightly of and we should be honest in serious matters especially one lie can lead to another and it won't be easy to correct it later. Our lives too, are not just about us, it also about people around us and there is a huge responsibility in everything we do. In short, Niko 2: Little Brother, Big Trouble (2012) champions the importance of a happy heart and we should too, always keep ourselves and everyone we love, happy. That is the most important and the best present ever one could give to anyone!PS. Super glad that I went for the movie at EUFF and found another one to add into my favorite list. I love this movie because just how many family films intended for children out there that are actually adorable and touches on important life issues and taboo topics? Niko 3 please.

Anssi Vartiainen I quite liked the first Niko movie. It had decent animation, great characters, original idea and a storyline that managed to keep me invested and then some. I've seen it once or twice since and solidified my opinion: it's more than decent Christmas movie, not a classic, but still enjoyable and kid-friendly. I'd happily recommend it to all families.And then there's the sequel, which follows the traditional way of offering more of the same, sans the novelty. In this case Niko is once again being forced to play the rule of a headstrong child with short temper and no patience whatsoever. It's a common cliché that the main character in a sequel seems to have learned nothing from his previous adventure, and this is true here as well, which is immensely aggravating. And when the storyline pretty much mirrors the previous film, this film can pretty much kiss goodbye to being as good as the original.Luckily the film makers got a few things right. I complain about Niko having learnt nothing, but there's the mitigating factor that he's still a kid, so he still has lots of learning to do. He should have learnt at least something, though. The rest of the cast though remains pretty much the same. They're not amazing, but they're solid. The same with animation. Nothing groundbreaking, but it looks good, though a bit uneven, as numerous studios were involved in the process, so the quality wavers a bit from time to time.The biggest problem is the story. It's just not as good as the first one, mostly because they tried to recycle the same plot, but with different enemies, which rarely works. There's a subplot concerning Niko's new stepbrother, but it's also very tired and clichéd. Not horrible, per se, but not very good either. You can pretty much guess how it'll go from the first minute of it.So that's this film. It's nothing spectacular, if anything it's a bit below average, but it's harmless fun and it's not going to hurt or upset your kids. It's over an hour's worth of semi-decent family entertainment. If you can, watch the first one, as it is much better, but this will do in a pinch.