A young reindeer who suffers from vertigo learns to overcome his fear, takes flying lessons from a clumsy flying squirrel and heads to the North pole to save a troubled Santa and his fleet of flying reindeer.
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Title: The Flight Before Christmas (2008)
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5 wins & 5 nominations.
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
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Olli Jantunen | ... | Niko (voice) |
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Hannu-Pekka Björkman | ... | Julius (voice) |
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Vuokko Hovatta | ... | Wilma (voice) |
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Vesa Vierikko | ... | Musta Susi (voice) |
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Jussi Lampi | ... | Räyskä (voice) |
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Risto Kaskilahti | ... | Rimppa / Uljas (voice) |
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Minttu Mustakallio | ... | Essie (voice) |
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Juha Veijonen | ... | Raavas (voice) |
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Puntti Valtonen | ... | Hirvas (voice) |
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Elina Knihtilä | ... | Oona (voice) |
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Juulia Rönkkö | ... | Saaga (voice) |
| Tommi Korpela | ... | Porolauman johtaja (voice) | |
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Aarre Karén | ... | Isoisä (voice) |
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Arttu Hämäläinen | ... | Poropoika 1 (voice) |
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Ilmari Huhtala | ... | Poropoika 2 (voice) |
Edit
Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
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Storyline
A reindeer boy named Niko dreams about flying like his father, whom he has never met. Despite constant mocking from others, he sneaks out of his home valley to take flying lessons from Julius, a flying squirrel. Written by jcsmarchesi
Plot Keywords:
winter | flying | search for father | computer animation | wolf pack |Taglines:
An all-new holiday movie about Santa and his little helpers!Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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Edit
See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Release Date:
10 October 2008 (Finland) See more »Also Known As:
The Flight Before Christmas See more »Filming Locations:
FinlandEdit
Box Office
Budget:
EUR6,100,000 (estimated)Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$21,897,141Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Dolby DigitalColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
Julius: Of course i did.
Niko: You didn't want me to find dad.
Julius: Niko...
Niko: You didn't want me to fly.
Julius: Lower your voice!
Wilma: [worried] Guys...
Niko: [gets upset] You ruined everything!
Julius: I forbid you to...
Niko: [interrupting] You can't forbid me anything! You're not my dad!
See more »
Did You Know?
Goofs
When Wilma and Julius use an old log to block the river flow, Julius jumps on it in search of Niko, but suddenly an ice block hits the log, causing him to lose his balance. As soon as the shot changes, Julius's left hand penetrates into the trunk. See more »Quotes
Niko: You didn't want me to come here.Julius: Of course i did.
Niko: You didn't want me to find dad.
Julius: Niko...
Niko: You didn't want me to fly.
Julius: Lower your voice!
Wilma: [worried] Guys...
Niko: [gets upset] You ruined everything!
Julius: I forbid you to...
Niko: [interrupting] You can't forbid me anything! You're not my dad!
See more »
Crazy Credits
At the end of the credits: 21.858 liters of beer were consumed during the making of this movie! See more »Alternate Versions
Alternate version spoken in Danish. See more »Contribute to This Page
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Niko and the Way to the Stars is an animated story of a young reindeer boy Niko, taking place somewhere in Lapland. Niko's father is gone, and his mother tells him dad is a member of Santa's Flying Reindeer Squad. Niko is supervised and taken care of by a flying squirrel named Julius who believes Niko will be able to fly someday, just like his father. The reindeer aren't allowed to go outside the valley because of the wolves who stalk there. After his disobedient visit outside the valley and a consequent incident with the wolves which forces the reindeer to move on, Niko decides to run away and look for his father further north where Santa resides. Adventure ensues.
From a Finn's standpoint this film felt a bit odd. It's written, produced and animated in Finland - yet the Finnish version of the film feels like an American animation film that has been translated and dubbed into Finnish. I wondered about this, but a friend explained to me the film is actually primarily intended for the international, mainly American market, and was written and lip-synced accordingly. Considering the country of origin, I was expecting a bit better Finnish translation though. The characters' lines were full of clumsy Anglicisms. Because of this, I have a feeling that native English viewers will enjoy this film more than Finnish viewers.
At a standard issue family entertainment level this film performs competently. There's family friendly humor and family values, there are no odd quirks, cussing or violence. It's exciting at times, but not too scary for young children. Perhaps with all this it is a bit bland, but still likable.
If you're looking for something to watch with your kids around Xmas, I can recommend this. However, if you're looking for something odd, quirky, eye-opening or original, look somewhere else.