While in his club house, a young boy named Ralph (Lucas Evans) and his sister discover a secret letter written by Charles Merriweather which claims that a stamp album with some of the most valuable stamps in the world is hidden somewhere in Australia. Then Ralph embarks on a fantastical treasure hunt that takes him to China and then Australia. He not only encounters some very colourful characters along the way – particularly in mainland China – but he comes up against a master con artist (who tricked him out of a rare blue nose stamp) aptly named Tommy Tricker (Anthony Rogers).
This movie is made primarily for kids, which is why some of the dialogue may come across as too puerile for adults to take seriously. Yet one has to admire the imagination that went into creating this intricate plot which defies all movie formulas. For instance, there is an incredible scene where Ralph shrinks to a midget and ends up on stamp after his sister and friend perform a strange chant. But after that magic trick takes place, only the people who do not perform this ritual can put the letter into a mail box to be sent halfway across the world to Australia. Crazier still, after the letter arrives at its destination and is opened, Ralph blows up to his regular size and lands in the most inconvenient places. To craft a scene like that takes a lot more imagination than is put in most movie scripts. Director-writer Michael Rubbo also has a great eye for locations, with the result that we are treated to China's roadways clogged with cyclists, a gorgeous Chinese garden, a dragon, Tai-Chi, and Australia's cricket match.
This movie is made primarily for kids, which is why some of the dialogue may come across as too puerile for adults to take seriously. Yet one has to admire the imagination that went into creating this intricate plot which defies all movie formulas. For instance, there is an incredible scene where Ralph shrinks to a midget and ends up on stamp after his sister and friend perform a strange chant. But after that magic trick takes place, only the people who do not perform this ritual can put the letter into a mail box to be sent halfway across the world to Australia. Crazier still, after the letter arrives at its destination and is opened, Ralph blows up to his regular size and lands in the most inconvenient places. To craft a scene like that takes a lot more imagination than is put in most movie scripts. Director-writer Michael Rubbo also has a great eye for locations, with the result that we are treated to China's roadways clogged with cyclists, a gorgeous Chinese garden, a dragon, Tai-Chi, and Australia's cricket match.