Laura's Star

Laura's Star (Lauras Stern) is a 2004 German animated feature film produced and directed by Thilo Rothkirch. It is based on the children's book Lauras Stern by Klaus Baumgart. It was released by the German distribution unit of Warner Bros. Pictures and is one of the final known theatrical films officially released through the Warner Bros. Family Entertainment label (WBFE's final film overall was 2007's Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale, which was direct-to-video).

Plot
Laura is a seven-year-old country girl who just moved with her family to a big city. On her first night in her new neighborhood, she sees a shooting star falling to Earth. Laura finds the star in a park and discovers that it is a living being. The star has severed one of its points during its crash landing. Laura takes the star back home in order to reattach its point with a Band-Aid.

Laura and her younger brother Tommy discover the little star has superpowers and can do amazing things, such as making people fly and bringing inanimate objects to life. However, over time, both notice that the longer the star stays on Earth, the weaker it becomes; its color gradually fades and its powers fail. The siblings and their next-door neighbor Max eventually find a way to send the little star back into outer space.

Cast

 * Céline Vogt as Laura
 * Sandro Iannotta as Tommy
 * Maximilian Artajo as Max
 * Brit Gülland as Mama
 * Heinrich Schafmeister as Papa
 * Mirco Nontschew as Mechanical Cat / Bear
 * Martin Reinl as Mini Rabbit
 * Eva Mattes as Sun
 * Peter Fitz as Moon
 * Mogens von Gadow as Caretaker
 * Hildegard Krekel as Cleaning Woman
 * Adrian Wilms as Harry
 * Carolin Von der Gröben as Harrys Bande
 * Adrian Killian as Harry's Gang Member
 * Tobias Klausmann as Harry's Gang Member

Music
The film features the songs "Stay" and "Touch the Sky" by the German band Wonderwall and a film score by Hans Zimmer, Nick Glennie-Smith, and Henning Lohner.

Release
The production was one of the most popular German animated films of 2004, and it has become the most successful animated film in all German film history. Warner Bros. also produced an English version of the movie, which was released in the United Kingdom and the United States the same year.

Accolades

 * Outstanding Children or Youth Film, German Film Awards, 2005
 * Adult Jury Prize – Animated Feature Film or Video, Chicago International Children's Film Festival, 2005

Sequels
In September 2009, Warner Bros. released a sequel, Lauras Stern und der geheimnisvolle Drache Nian, (Laura's Star and the Mysterious Dragon Nian), and in October 2011, another sequel, titled Lauras Stern und die Traummonster (Laura's Star and the Dream Monsters).