Tout en haut du monde

It takes a wee bit of time to get used to the somewhat awkward 'arty' animation style, but overall the story is really intersesting and so are the various characters. At the very end you somehow want to see more and you actually start making up all these endings in your own head. I would say well done, so much better than most of the high-budget blockbusters that have zero contents and no value to offer. So, yes, do believe this movie deserves an 8/10.

I didn't know what to expect from this French-Danish animated film directed by Remi Chaye, but it proved to be a surprising little gem. The animation is wonderful, the characters most vivid, and the storyline is excellent. OK, so some of the plot elements are pure fantasy, but I found myself thoroughly enjoying it anyway.

The story revolves around the headstrong aristocratic 15-year-old Sacha, who's living in St. Petersburg,Russia, in 1882. She's determined to somehow find the lost ship of her beloved grandfather Oloukine, who was regarded as a great explorer in Russia, but now a new scientific councilor is threatening to besmirch Oloukine's name and remove it from an Academy of Sciences library.

Sacha, who knows her grandfather's dream was to plant the Russian flag on the North Pole,has found a navigation sheet left by Oloukine, which indicates the search parties may have been looking in the wrong places. Sacha will run off from home, and eventually try and convince an icebreaker's captain to search again, and try and collect a million rubles reward offered by the Tsar. Along the dangerous journey,they'll be lots of suspense and tension for all concerned.

All in all, if you don't mind the film's poetic license for some of the plot elements, you may find this film to be exceptional and most enjoyable.

The animation was lovely (it's been a while since I've seen a new animated film).

It took me 10 minutes or so to get stuck into the style (mostly as I don't watch many animations these days), but I soon began to really appreciate the animation flow, textures and in particular the camera positions and lighting which were both really interesting, creative and important to the story in places.

The story itself is simple yet also very rich and moving, with educational messages that everyone should be able to take something from. It's definitely a film that everyone can enjoy: both children and adults. Some moments really struck an emotional chord within me... tears welled up at one point!

Is the story traditional? Have other films been made based on the same story?

I also enjoyed the music, both the soundtrack and the use of "popular style" songs. These took me surprise at first, and I felt sceptical at hearing them... but actually they worked really well, and by the end I was really enjoying their use.

When I have children I hope this will be a film they will love and enjoy, and take with them through to adulthood in the same way that I still have fond memories of some films I watched repeatedly as a kid.

It's not often we get a proper period piece in animation, so this was a real delight to watch. I can't really speak to the historical accuracy, but it FELT like a proper period piece at least. This is a story about how a privileged young woman learns to become independent and self-sufficient and I wish I had access to more media like this growing up.

In its simplicity, this animated movie proves to have a warm , beating heart that mainly resides in its linear and candid story. Between the wise choice of colors and the well crafted animation, the most beautiful aspect of it is how it ends, in a surprisingly touching and abrupt conclusion.