Long Way North

Set in 1880s Russia during the days of exploration, Long Way North is a gorgeous French-Danish animated film about Sacha (Christa Théret), a 15-year-old girl from an aristocratic family in Saint Petersburg who flees her palatial home to head for the far north in search of the lost ship of her explorer grandfather, Oloukine. First-time director Rémi Chayé was an assistant director and storyboard artist on the Oscar-nominated The Secret of Kells and he brings a strong, sure sense of design and layout to this film, which features traditional hand-drawn animation that is presented with an unconventional visual style—less drawn so much as painted, with big fields of color and details suggested in splashes of shadow or small, simple lines. Long Way North is a coming-of-age story, adventure odyssey, and finally survival tale in the icy north, featuring a strong, courageous girl who matures over the course of the story. Highly recommended. (S. Axmaker)