Long Way North Review: Stellar

In the 19th Century the love of exploration was rekindled all across the world. One of these places of exploration was the dangerous and freezing terrain of the North Pole. Enter “Long Way North,” a film by Claire Paoletti and Patricia Valeix and directed by Rémi Chayé.

Sacha is obsessed with finding out the truth about her grandfather Olukine who disappeared in the North Pole when she was young. Now that she found her grandfather’s notes she sets out to the North Pole to find him and his ship.

The story itself isn’t anything new, but it is told is the most impressive way possible. It has the right balance of Sacha discovering her grandfather’s notes, running away from home and going to the North Pole.

The characters feel like real people and are really likable. The best part is that Sacha is the best character. Paoletti and Valeix created a character that has a lot going for her and though she seems like a cliché, it becomes more and more apparent that there is a lot more to her than just some rich girl looking for her grandpa.

The animation looks like this gorgeous oil painting come to life. The character designs have a lot of charm to them. The best part is the backgrounds. They are so vibrant and alive that the only way to make them better is if they were in 3D.

Sadly, there are two issues with the animation. The mouths move in an awkward way. It’s either the mouths don’t match the English dub or it’s just the mouth. The human’s feet are also and issue. Even though everyone is wearing books, they look more like oversized hooves than human feet.

The English dub team also adds a lot to the movie. Chloé Dunn as Sacha sounds fantastic. Dunn puts a lot of emotion into her role. The supporting cast also does a fine job with their characters. The only tiny nitpick is that here are Russian characters all voiced by British actors. It does seem a bit weird in a way.

“Long Way Home” is a beautifully written and beautiful looking animated movie with some minor bumps. The story, artwork and voice acting is superb and should not be skipped by anyone.