Website and Trailer for Danish Fantasy The Island of Lost Souls (De fortabte sjæles ø)

Call it the Harry Potter effect - or perhaps Lord of the Rings should your age skew a little older - but there's been a recent surge in family oriented fantasy films around the world on a scale that hasn't been seen since the mid-80s when fantasy adventure films were a staple, the difference now being that production values and effects are far, far better.

One that looks to be a quality new entry is Nikolaj Arcel's The Island of Lost Souls, the story of a fourteen year old boy possessed by the spirit of a 19th century ghost plunged into a battle against supernatural forces with the help of his sister, a friend and an inventor. Here's the synopsis:

14-year-old Lulu moves to a small provincial town with her mother and younger brother. One night, her brother is struck by a beam of white light – actually the spirit of Herman Hartmann from the 19th-century. To her despair, Lulu realizes that Herman has possessed her brother, and the two of them are whirled into a fevered adventure. Joined by Oliver, a rich kid, and Richard, a disillusioned clairvoyant and inventor, they take on the dark, supernatural forces gathering over the town – evil from deep in the land of the dead, determined to take over the world and see them die.

Island of Lost Souls Website (Trailer within)

Thanks to Thomas for the pointer.