Tout en haut du monde

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.