HOUBA! On the Trail of the Marsupilami

HOUBA! On the Trail of the Marsupilami (Sur la piste du Marsupilami, 2012) is Alain Chabat's family adventure comedy you can watch online on iFILM. Chabat also stars as Dan Geraldo, a TV reporter whose career is sinking fast and who badly needs a big story.

That story sends him to Palombia, a made-up South American country deep in the rainforest. His guide is Pablito, a fast-talking local hustler played by Jamel Debbouze, and their quarry turns out to be the Marsupilami — a yellow, spotted, impossibly long-tailed creature from André Franquin's Belgian comics. Word gets out that the animal is tied to a secret of eternal youth, and suddenly soldiers, poachers and a deranged botanist (Lambert Wilson) are all chasing it too. Cue the slapstick.

This one is aimed squarely at kids and the parents sitting next to them: broad gags, a brisk pace, and that tail milked for every joke it's worth. A Céline Dion cameo tips it further into the silly. It won't change your life, but it's a painless, good-natured ride for a family night in. Stream HOUBA! On the Trail of the Marsupilami online on iFILM.