THE LITTLE VAMPIRE (2000)
(On The Set /
Promo / Screen Caps)
Official Synopsis
Every night, since his
family moved from San Diego to Scotland, little Tony Thompson (Jonathan
Lipnicki) dreams the same dream. A full moon hangs in the distance,
bathing a lush green cliff with beams of magical light. An enclave of
vampires gather, waiting for the arrival of a comet. As the comet hurls
across the sky, to align with the moon, the head vampire raises his
hand. Clutching an ancient golden amulet, he begins an incantation.
Suddenly, a vampire hunter, hell-bent on capturing and destroying the
creatures, rushes forward, knocking the jewelled piece from his grasp
into the sea below. The head vampire leaps over the cliff to retrieve
the amulet, only to fall down, down, down into little Tony's bed.
Life couldn't be tougher for the nine year old - a new country, a new
school and, now, he can't sleep. What's worse than being the new kid on
the block? His classmates constantly tease him. Nigel and Flint, nephews
of his father's boss, Lord McAshton, routinely beat him up. His teacher
thinks he's strange, obsessed with vampires. And, he can't seem to make
any friends. With no one to play with, what's a kid to do? You guessed
it. Emulate the only beings that visit him every night - vampires.
While his parents are at an evening reception introducing the new golf
course his father is designing for Lord McAshton, Tony plays in his
room, sporting fangs and a cape. He has a strange encounter as a bat
flies in the window and transforms into a nine year old Vampire. Rudolph
(Rollo Weeks), who has mistaken Tony for one of his kind, is in a
weakened state. Lack of food and being chased by the villainous vampire
hunter, Rookery (Jim Carter), has taken its toll on the littlest of
vampires.
Taking pity on the hungry young vamp, Tony helps Rudolph find
nourishment by leading him to a cow. We learn that vampires don’t feed
on humans anymore because bite marks on somebody’s throat could expose
his family’s existence, bringing them certain death. In exchange for
saving his life, Rudolph treats Tony to a flying lesson. Rudolph
skilfully guides his new friend back to the safety of his room and ends
up spending the night in Tony’s toy chest that serves as sanctuary
against the powerful rays of the sun and the terrifying Rookery.
Finally, Tony has a real friend. One that he can count on.
The next evening, Rudolph takes Tony on another night flight to his
home, a cemetery a short distance away. Rudolph tells Tony that his
nightly dream is true. Every 300 years a comet aligns with the moon. If
the vampires can assemble, hold the jewelled amulet to the sky, and
repeat the magic spell, legend states that they will find peace and
become humans again. But their eternal wish seems for naught. They
possess only a portion of the amulet and the comet is due to align with
the moon the next night! With the power of true love and friendship as
his only weapons, Tony races against time to defeat the vampire slayer
and to help the little vampire become human again!
Cast
Jonathan Lipnicki ... Tony Thompson
Richard E. Grant ... Fredrick Sackville-Bagg
Jim Carter ... Rookery
Alice Krige ... Freda Sackville-Bagg
Anna Popplewell ... Anna Sackville-Bagg
Dean Cook ... Gregory Sackville-Bagg
Rollo Weeks ... Rudolph Sackville-Bagg
Crew
Director:
Uli Edel
Executive Producer: Alexander Buchman, Anthony Waller
Producer: Richard Claus
Co-producer: Klaus Bauschulte, Carsten H. W. Lorenz
Associate Producer: Daniel Musgrave
Trivia
Jonathan auditioned for the part of Tony the day before his 9th
birthday.
In the scenes where Tony and Rudolph are flying, the actors (Jonathan
Lipnicki
and Rollo Weeks) had to hang upside down in harnesses. Wind machine's
blew their hair so that the movie would look realistic, however it made
it really hard to talk and they couldn't hear well because it was so
loud.
Jonathan's 10th birthday was the same day as the US premiere of The
Little Vampire. His cake had a picture of Tony on. At the premiere
Jonathan went dressed as a vampire, wearing a t-shirt that said Bite
Me!
To amuse the kids on set Richard E. Grant would light his farts! He
would also throw water bombs and grapes about.