Emil (Nicholas Jonah Peter in his first lead role for the cinema) is supposed to spend the summer holidays with his grandmother (Ursula Werner) in Berlin. But on the train there, he is robbed by the ruthless con artist Max Grundeis (Merlin Sandmeyer) – and a wild adventure begins! Together with a gang of clever children, Emil sets off in pursuit and embarks on a fast-paced detective hunt across Berlin – full of wit, courage and true friendship.
David Dietl’s contemporary adaptation of EMIL AND THE DETECTIVES is UFA Fiction’s second adaptation of an Erich Kästner children’s classic after THE FLYING CLASSROOM.