Kika is a very modern little girl.
She’s smart, quick and a little bit cocky. She’s convinced that she’s pre-destined for great things, so it’s too bad she was born in the most boring village in the world.
Moreover her embarrassment ensures that she doesn't always dare to show how well she actually can do things.

Then there are Kika's GLASSES. Very important.
On the one hand she hates them; on the otherhand she can't live without them.
If she wants to escape from everyday reality, Kika puts her glasses on her forehead. Not only is it very chic, but it has the added advantage that the whole world becomes soft and flowing. A blurry world is much less threatening and this is when Kika dares to do things that she would otherwise never dare to do.
Another typical Kika thing to do is suck on her plait. That's what she does when she really needs to think. To suck the brilliant ideas out of her head.

Kika's at the annoying stage between handkerchief and tablecloth, not really a child anymore, but also not yet a teenager.  Sometimes she says:
‘Hey, I'm only nine, you know!’
But at other times she says:
‘Hey, I’m already nine, you know!’

Unfortunately Kika is often thought to be only seven.

This happens because Kika is rather small, and she really hates it.She climbs everything; trees, drainpipes, cabinets. Anything just to get abit of an overview. It'salso not unusual for her to stand on a stool during a conversation. According to her mother, her rather unbalanced diet is to blame for her small figure. Macaroni with ketchup for lunch, tea and supper and, if it’s possible, for breakfast as well.

Bob has been a fireman for twenty years.
Bob never takes a day off.
Bob still lives at home with his mother.
Bob is a bit of a loner.

But why is this?
Is it due to his athletic build?  His physique is well camouflaged by his oversized fireman's jacket, but a long held addiction to BBQ chips has left its mark on his belly.

Is it due to his legendary smooth demeanour?
Bob can get along fine with people he knows well, but with strangers he completely clams up. Or he falls into a tough fireman-of-the-world mode that only remains credible for about 20 seconds. Or he becomes frantically preoccupied with his great passion: fire engines. His mother thinks he’s the most interesting man in the world.

It cannot be due to his qualities as a fireman.
He has quite enough free time to study a lot and he knows everything there is to know about the noble art of fire fighting. He is without doubt the best fireman in his country. There is no type of fire that frightens Bob. But all the rest...

Bob is afraid of the dark, afraid of Chinese food, afraid of large cities, afraid of women, in short: afraid of everythingthat he’s not familiar with.

The ideal travel companion, therefore, to go around the world with. Fortunately, Bob is totally loyal.
‘We’re in this boat together, little girl’, he says, ‘and we're going to get out of it together as well’.
Bob happily calls Kika 'little girl'. It gives him the illusion of mental superiority.

Fortunately for Kika, Bob is rather strong, he has a lamp in his helmet and he can play a bit of guitar, which can always come in handy.

Bob is also crazy about football (on TV,  with a beer and a bag of BBQ chips). There are, however, other sports that he actively plays; darts for example, or (heavily under-estimated) puzzles. It’s not for nothing that he was named the crossword puzzle champion of 1982. The dusty trophy still sits on the mantelpiece at home.

In the culinary sense, Bob is a real omnivore. He will eat anything,as long as there’s a lot of it. After a meal he takes a nap, which according to him is the secret of a true fireman. ‘After a good bit of shut-eye I’m clearer than ever!’ (everyone already knows that you can't work on an empty stomach).

Bob's problem is that he's not at all politically correct. So he decides that they never complain in Africa because the weather is always nice, and he endeavours to show those Chinese people how to play ping-pong. He’s a real product of Western Europe.

When Bob is happy, he sings. In his head there's a jukebox, playing everything from French chansons and evergreen favourites such as ‘Row your boat’, to Bob's great hero, Elvis Presley.

Bob embodies all the elements of human weakness, which makes him easily likable by the people he meets (and the audience).

Kika's kitten, frequently enjoys this culinarytreat because if there is someone with whom Kika truly shares everything, it's Tiger. Kika foundTiger when she was just a tiny kitten. Soaking wet, she was sitting, meowing beside the grave of herdeceased owner. With enormous perseverance and motherly care, Kika helped the little beast and since then an unbreakable bond has existed between the two. The kitten sleeps in her bed, accompanies her to school and is the only one who knows all her secrets.

Tiger is Kika's main playmate. Together they set off to see the whole world, in the privacy of Kika's room. Kika is invariably the brave explorer, but Tiger's roles range from a wild crocodile, to a pitiful gorilla or a growling tiger. That's the one she does best.
It’s therefore a real disaster that Tiger is stuck on thechurch steeple.

That’s partly Kika's dilemma: on the one hand she absolutely wants to go back home as soon as possible to save Tiger; on the other hand sheenjoys the fact that there is finally something happening in her life.

With an arrogance accorded to her youth, Kika can sometimes find Bob completely stupid. If he does something dumb, she slaps herself hard on the forehead. Adults can be so strange!

If she has done something stupid herself, she doesn't say anything but she turns very red. Sometimes she will also pick her nose.

Her biggest fear is to lead a boring life, like her parents. They own an umbrella shop and always have one with them. You never know when it might rain...

Production Submarine | Co-production Peachblossom Media | Sales Submarine