Living in Lonneberga, Smaland in southern Sweden, Emil is a mischievous boy whose days are filled with petty incidents and daily adventures. One day he disguises himself as a beggar in order to make money to buy sticky flypaper for his mother. On another occasion, he accidentally pours food all over his father’s head. Whenever Emil tries to be helpful, he gets caught up in a whirlwind of comic mischief, and his father ends up shouting ‘E-e-emil!’ That Boy Emil is a feature-length animation film based on the 1963 original story written by Astrid Lindgren, a Swedish children’s writer who is best known for the children’s book series featuring Pippi Longstocking. The original series, which has already been introduced to Korean readers, was adapted into a film trilogy in Sweden in the 1970s. The series was translated into fifty-two languages and sold over 30 million copies, leading to its worldwide popularity. Even when he gets banished to the woodshed as punishment for his tricks, naughty Emil welcomes a new opportunity to have fun, and his little sister Ida wants to pull pranks like her brother. The scenes of children’s growth and the pastoral life in rural Sweden, together with the film’s detailed illustrations, all faithfully realize the magic of the original. That Boy Emil is a testament to the potential of children’s fiction and cinema from Northern Europe. (HWANG Hei-Rim)