Agatha Christine: Next Door Spy is an animated feature about a young girl named Agatha Christine who everybody just calls AC. She and her family have just moved to a brand new town. Her mother is hoping it will be a fresh start for everyone and AC will finally make some friends. But AC couldn’t care less about forming relationships. Instead she wants to pursue her dreams of being a professional detective. Immediately upon arriving in her new home she canvasses the neighborhood with flyers advertising her services. The owner of a local pet shop hires her hoping to rid himself of problems he’s been having with an unknown petty thief. AC quickly fixates on the young boy who lives across the street, named Vincent, convinced that he is the culprit. But as she investigates she learns Vincent has more than one mystery surrounding him.
This movie is a fairly straightforward albeit heartwarming story of a young sleuth. An entertaining tale that will amuse kids and adults alike. The animation is both whimsical and sophisticated at the same time. Despite its refined artwork it is certainly geared towards the younger crowds. However, those adults who, like me, read books such as Nate the Great, Cam Jansen, and Encyclopedia Brown in their youth will still find it enjoyable as it harkens back to stories which entertained them in their younger years. Unlike detective tales such as Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys this story has no real malice. Instead the detective work simply acts as a metaphor for AC getting to know her true self and her true feelings. There is a somewhat magical element shoehorned into the narrative which although awkward at times serves as a symbol of AC’s internal doubts and conflicts. This element provides the only real menace in the story but never becomes all that threatening allowing this film to remain fairly light and breezy. The viewer gets a window into AC’s fantasies and they allow the audience to see the development of AC from driven private eye to a more fully well-rounded person. AC’s character arc is really the only one in the tale but it is a significant one that is presented well.
The only bones I had to pick with this story was the relative ease with which the mystery unfolds and as I mentioned before the magical element. The mystery was pretty easy to figure out and I found myself well ahead of the characters. So much so that the ending felt a little bit like it was dragging. Perhaps this was just because I was an adult and the younger viewers would not find it to be an issue. That being said, in my own personal experience I had already figured out the ending and found myself just waiting for it to unfold wondering why AC hadn’t put the pieces together yet. Although expected, the ending was still sweet and pleasant and I wouldn’t have asked for anything different. So it was more just a matter of pacing rather than being dissatisfied with how everything worked out. My complaint with the magical element was more because I felt it was unnecessary rather than I didn’t like it. However, it did help drive home the point of sticking to who you are and not conceding to the pressures of others which is a very worthwhile message. Perhaps if the element was explained a little more it would have felt more natural.
My two minor problems with the film though did not detract significantly from my overall amusement with the movie. It is a pleasant diversion for the whole family. If one wants to shut off their mind for a bit and relax with a youthful and upbeat tale then Agatha Christine: Next Door Spy does the job quite nicely.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Victims and Villains is written Josh "Captain Nostalgia" Burkey (and produced by), Caless Davis, Dan Rockwood, Micah Kimber & Brandon Miller . Music by Yuriy Bespalov & Various Artists. This post was edited by Erica Burkey. Agatha Christie: Next Door Spy is property of TriCoast Entertainment . We do not own nor claim any rights. Agatha Christie: Next Door Spy is available VOD & Digital on June 5th, 2020!
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