Alright fellow tapeheads, pull up a stool, crack open a cold one (maybe not Bölkstoff, unless you're feeling brave), and let’s talk about a slice of late 90s German animation chaos that likely graced a fair few PAL VHS players back in the day: Werner - Volles Rooäää!!! (1999). This wasn't your Disney fare, folks. This was loud, crude, anarchic, and unapologetically German. For those of us outside Germany, stumbling upon a Werner tape might have felt like discovering transmissions from another, beer-soaked planet.
The familiar guttural cry of "Volles Rooäää!!!" (Full Throttle!) erupts, and we're instantly back in the world of Werner, the perpetually unemployed plumber apprentice with a penchant for Bölkstoff beer, disastrous inventions, and souped-up Horex motorcycles. This third cinematic outing, arriving six years after Werner – Beinhart! and three after Werner – Das muss kesseln!!!, finds our anti-hero, voiced once again with gravelly perfection by Klaus Büchner (lead singer of the cult band Torfrock, whose music is inseparable from Werner), locked in his eternal feud with his pompous driving instructor, Günzelsen, and the upper-class snob Nobelschröder. The plot, as always, is wonderfully simple: Werner and Nobelschröder engage in another high-stakes, utterly ridiculous race, this time involving heavily modified lawnmowers. Yes, lawnmowers.
### Bölkstoff, Bad Decisions, and Breakneck Animation
What always set the Werner films apart, especially for those of us raised on smoother Saturday morning cartoons, was the sheer energy of the animation, spearheaded here by directors Gerhard Hahn and Michael Schaack. Volles Rooäää!!! represents a fascinating point in animation history, blending traditional 2D hand-drawn animation – that raw, slightly scratchy look we associate with the earlier films and Rötger "Brösel" Feldmann's original comics – with burgeoning 3D CGI. Remember how jarring but also kind of cool that early CGI looked? Here, it’s primarily used for vehicles and complex mechanical shots, and while it definitely screams 'late 90s tech', it somehow fits the film's overall rough-and-ready aesthetic. It doesn't feel slick; it feels like Werner himself bolted it onto the movie.
The real 'action' here isn't about explosions (though there are plenty of those, usually involving faulty plumbing or overloaded engines), but about the physics-defying slapstick and the relentless pace. Characters stretch, squash, and explode with a manic energy that feels genuinely handcrafted. You can almost picture the animators cackling as they drew Werner getting flattened or Eckat (Kulle Westphal) enduring some new indignity. It’s the polar opposite of today’s pixel-perfect animation; there's a tangible sense of pen, ink, and sheer anarchic glee on screen. A retro fun fact: Rötger Feldmann, Werner's creator, was heavily involved, co-writing the script and ensuring the film stayed true to the spirit of his beloved comics, which were already a cultural phenomenon in Germany. His brother Andi Feldmann, also providing voice work, is famously the inspiration for Werner's loyal, beer-swilling biker buddy Andi.
### More Than Just Fäkalhumor?
Let's be honest, the humour in Werner films is... an acquired taste. It's steeped in North German working-class culture, filled with regional dialects, puns that barely translate, and a healthy dose of slapstick, crude jokes, and general mayhem (often referred to less charitably as Fäkalhumor or toilet humour). Yet, amidst the Bölkstoff fumes and disastrous plumbing jobs, there's a genuine, if rough-edged, affection for its characters and their blue-collar world. Werner, despite his laziness and penchant for chaos, represents a kind of anti-establishment folk hero, constantly battling petty authority figures and bourgeois arrogance.
The supporting cast, including Meister Röhrich (voiced by Büchner in a different register) and the aforementioned Eckat and Andi, are essential parts of the formula, each bringing their own brand of absurdity. Watching them bounce off each other feels like eavesdropping on a particularly rowdy pub conversation. It’s this specific cultural flavour that made Werner a box office titan in Germany – Volles Rooäää!!! drew millions of viewers – but perhaps limited its wider international appeal compared to, say, Asterix.
The soundtrack, heavily featuring Torfrock, is another key ingredient, providing the perfect hard-rocking, slightly goofy backdrop to the visual chaos. It’s impossible to imagine Werner without those riffs.
### A Bölkstoff-Fueled Time Capsule
Watching Werner - Volles Rooäää!!! today is like unearthing a specific type of time capsule. The animation mix feels dated, sure, and some of the humour might land differently now. But the sheer, unadulterated energy and its uniquely German brand of rebellious comedy remain potent. It captures that late 90s moment when traditional animation was colliding with new digital tools, all wrapped up in a package that simply refused to compromise its messy, beer-fueled identity. I distinctly remember seeing the distinctive Werner art style on imported magazines and posters back then, hinting at this wild world just beyond the usual Hollywood exports. It felt genuinely different.
Compared to the smoother, often more sanitised animated features we get today, there's a certain raw charm to Werner's adventures. It’s loud, it’s proud, and it doesn't give a flying Flens what you think. It's animation with grease under its fingernails.
Rating: 6/10
Justification: While a cultural icon in Germany and undeniably energetic, its extremely specific humour, dated CGI elements, and loose plotting make it less accessible than the earlier entries or universally appealing animated films. However, for fans of the comics, German culture vultures, or animation enthusiasts curious about this unique blend of hand-drawn chaos and early CGI, it offers a boisterous, Bölkstoff-soaked good time. The voice acting and core character dynamics remain strong points.
Final Thought: Like finding an old, favourite greasy band t-shirt, Werner - Volles Rooäää!!! might look a bit rough around the edges now, but slip it on, and you can still feel the raw, rock 'n' roll energy that made it roar back in '99. Prost!