Category: Movies

A beautiful tale of strength, hope and courage can be found in Long Way North, when a young girl sets out to discover what happened to her Grandfather and the Davai.

About Long Way North

Directed by celebrated animator and filmmaker Rémi Chayé and produced by Sacrebleu Productions (Oscar®-Nominated Madagascar, Carnet de Voyage), Maybe Movies (Oscar®-Nominated Ernest & Celestine) and Norlum Studios (Oscar®-Nominated Song of the Sea), France 3 Cinéma and 2 Minutes, LONG WAY NORTH won the coveted Audience Award at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and the winner of Grand Prize and the Governor of Tokyo Award at Tokyo Animation Festival 2016. This captivating animated adventure, bolstered by emotionally resonant storytelling and visually exquisite hand-drawn animation, has continued to attract universal acclaim as it enchants movie audiences around the world.

A spirited and inspiring tale of hope and courage, LONG WAY NORTH is the feature directorial debut of animator Rémi Chayé (first AD and head of storyboard for Oscar®-Nominated The Secret of Kells, The Painting) and tells the story of a young heroine persevering through a physical and emotional journey to find her Grandfather and his lost ship, the Davai.

LONG WAY NORTH is set in the late 19th century in Saint Petersburg. Sacha, a young girl from the Russian aristocracy, dreams of the Great North and is devastated over the fate of her Grandfather, Oloukine, a renowned scientist and Arctic explorer who has yet to return from his latest expedition to conquer the North Pole.

Sacha has always been fascinated by the adventurous life of her grandfather and has the same calling to be an explorer. But Sacha’s parents, who have already made arrangements for her marriage, strongly disapprove of the idea. Defying her destiny, Sacha flees her home and launches a quest toward the Great North in search of Oloukine and his ship.

LONG WAY NORTH features an English voice cast of Chloé Dunn, Vivienne Vermes, Peter Hudson, Antony Hickling, Tom Perkins, Geoffrey Greenhill, Claire Harrison-Bullett, Bibi Jacob, Martin Lewis, Tom Morton, Leslie Clack, Kester Lovelace and Damian Corcoran.

Our Thoughts

Long Way North is a beautiful, moving tale that draws you in to Sacha’s life and hopes. She is a strong, independent young woman in a time that did not always encourage this. She loved her Adventurer Grandfather and has so much faith in him. When he doesn’t return home from his adventure to the North Pole, she is not only devastated but her family becomes the butt of jokes of the unsinkable Davai.

Sacha knows in her heart that her Grandfather’s ship did not sink. She does her own research and discovers a secret that could unlock the mystery. But no one would listen to her, not even her own family. She was forced to make a difficult decision – to follow her heart or follow her parents wishes. She chooses to follow her heart.

This is when the story really evolves and we see this strong side of Sacha. She is so much more than anyone gave her credit for. We watch her grow and mature into a young woman who her Grandfather would have been so proud of. As we follow her brave and dangerous adventure, you are left on the edge of your seat – nervous and excited for her.

Long Way North is a beautiful and unique movie, with an interesting plot and beautifully played accompanying music. The graphics are not your typical, animated graphics but suit the story perfectly. A fantastic family movie for every member of the house!

Find out more about the movie on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The movie will be released on September 30th, 2016 and you can find a full listing of theatres here.

Disclosure: I received an advance screening of this movie in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Miracles are everywhere…Goodness…Showing up in the strangest of ways from people who are just passing us by…Miracles are love…Miracles are God and God is forgiveness..(Miracles From Heaven)

When we think of miracles, we sometimes think of incredible, unexplainable incidents that have happened. While this is definitely one version of a miracle, everyday we are witness to many little smaller miracles that help to make this world a better place. We just sometimes tend to pass them by without second glance.

I think of my own life and how my life has been touched by strangers, and it makes it easy for me to believe in daily miracles. I still remember receiving a phone call at the gym that my childhood dog had passed away and I broke down crying on the machine. I couldn’t function to even walk away from the machine; all I could do was cry and try to hide my tears from others. One woman, whom I did not know, came up to me with a box of Kleenex and gave me a squeeze on the arm before walking away. At that moment, her act of compassion gave me the strength I needed. Another time, after my car accident three years ago, I had an incredibly difficult time forgiving myself for spinning out on the ice and damaging the car. It became so bad that I could not function with daily tasks at home and at work. I was angry, frustrated and depressed. When I went to Church one Sunday morning and sat down in the pews, there were olive leaves placed by the song books. I don’t know who had left them (there were no olive leaves anywhere else in the Church), nor why they chose that spot, but that was a sign to me that God forgave me and that I needed to forgive myself. I still carry that branch (with much fewer leaves on it) in my new car to this day, as a reminder to forgive not only others but myself.

In Miracles from Heaven we witness Anna, a young and active girl, who one day becomes very unwell. Her parents take her to multiple doctors who give a variety of medical opinions, none of which turn out to be correct. Her parents hit their final straw while in the emergency department again and demand the doctors rerun tests. It is then that they discover she has a rare disorder that causes her not be able to digest food properly. Her life and the life of her family is turned upside down as they struggle to understand and treat her disease while travelling back and forth from specialists and managing daily life. We learn how serious this disease really is and the possibility of Anna dying is very real.

My children are my greatest miracles. They are a gift from God to me and I still remember the day they came into this world. I remember the moment they were placed in my arms, wet and screaming and how utterly amazing they were in that moment. After suffering through six miscarriages, I knew how precious life was. While watching Miracles From Heaven, all I could think about was my own children and how painful this must have been for their family (the movie is actually based on the true story and memoir of Christy Beam: Miracles from Heave: A Little Girl, Her Journey to Heaven and Her Amazing Story of Healing) and how frustrated and angry they must have been. We watch as Christy struggles with her faith in God and her faith in others as she tries her best to do anything to keep her child alive. I know so many parents can relate to this as we would do anything for our children regardless of the cost. We watch as the family struggles to keep their faith alive while facing the realities of the disease and the possibility of Anna’s death. Anna’s Father desperately tries to hold the family together so that Christy can be with Anna in another State for treatment.

In those moments of despair in the movie, I loved how an act of kindness would emerge. We don’t always see the full act of kindness until the last scene, but there were so many people who helped lift the family up, carry them in their worst moments and give them hope. From the random kindness of a waitress who offered a personal tour of the city to Anna and Christy, to the receptionist who broke protocol and helped Christy, these moments make this movie that much greater. We are not individuals living separate lives, we are all connected by love and hope. These scenes helped to drive this home for us. It is also helped our family to appreciate how many times our own lives have been unknowingly touched by strangers and we have been left better for it.

Miracles from Heaven has a stellar cast including my personal favourite actors; Jennifer Garner and Queen Latifah. Jennifer Garner plays Anna’s Mom perfectly. We could feel her pain, her love, her hope and her despair through the screen. You felt as though you were Anna’s Mom. You cried and laughed along with her and you felt each emotion deeply (be prepared with the box of tissues beforehand!). You want to hold Christy and tell her it will be okay and offer her your help. On the flip side, we have Queen Latifah who offers up her unique ability to make you laugh and smile in the hardest moments. Her character comes in at a dark point for Anna’s Mom and helps her believe again. She becomes an incredibly important person in Anna’s life and it all started in a small restaurant with the kindness of Queen Latifah’s character, as she waited on tables.

Miracles from Heaven is an incredible, inspiring movie of faith, hope, family, and how everyday little miracles make the world a better place. You will cry, you will laugh, but you will also finish the movie feeling inspired and hopeful. It is a movie that you can enjoy as a family, or even appreciate once the children go to bed. For me, it reminded me of how blessed we are as individuals and as a family, to never take this for granted, and to always help others. Our actions, while they may seem small, may be the greatest gift we can give another person.

For more information on Miracles from Heaven, you can check out the website, or follow them on Facebook.

This post was brought to you by Sony Pictures but the opinions are my own.