The Flight Before Christmas (2008)
Niko - lentäjän poika (original title)Reference View | Change View
- G
- 1h 20min
- Animation, Adventure
- 10 Oct 2008 (Finland)
- Movie
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.
Directors:
Writers:
Awards:
- 5 wins & 5 nominations.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast
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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)
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| 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)
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Mika Ala-Panula | ... |
Oinas / Laumasusi / Laumaporo (voice)
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| Kari Hietalahti | ... |
Armas / Tervas / Puhelintonttu (voice)
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Janus Hanski | ... |
Rautias (voice)
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Jussi Chydenius | ... |
Viekas (voice)
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Miia Nuutila | ... |
Pukin asiakaspalvelu / Laumaporo (voice)
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Markus Degerman | ... |
Laumasusi (voice)
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Werne Walla | ... |
Laumaporo (voice)
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Susa Saukko | ... |
Laumaporo (voice)
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Veikko Honkanen | ... |
Joulupukki (voice)
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Ingo Albrecht | ... |
Schwarzer Wolf (voice)
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Sabine Arnhold | ... |
Oona (voice)
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Carly Baker | ... |
Saga (voice)
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Detlef Bierstedt | ... |
Dasher (voice)
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Danna Davis | ... |
Intercom Lady (voice)
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Patrick FitzSymons | ... |
Leader / Grandpa / Flying Forces (voice)
(as Patrick Fitzsymons)
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Rainer Fritzsche | ... |
Specs (voice)
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Peter Groeger | ... |
Großvater (voice)
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Karlo Hackenberger | ... |
Komet (voice)
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Gary Hetzler | ... |
Elf Operator (voice)
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Hans Hohlbein | ... |
Cupid (voice)
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Michael Iwannek | ... |
Donner (voice)
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| Morgan C. Jones | ... |
Julius - UK version / Dasher / Flying Forces (voice)
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Joachim Kaps | ... |
Vixen (voice)
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Heather Keegan | ... |
Reindeer Girl (voice)
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Jürgen Kluckert | ... |
Weihnachtsmann (voice)
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| Norm MacDonald | ... |
Julius (voice)
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Andrew McMahon | ... |
Niko (voice)
(as Andrew Mc Mahon)
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Tim Moeseritz | ... |
Dancer (voice)
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Gavin Morgan | ... |
Smiley (voice)
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Aileen Mythen | ... |
Wilma (voice)
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Olaf Reichmann | ... |
Julius (voice)
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Katharina Ritter | ... |
Saga (voice)
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| Emma Roberts | ... |
Wilma (voice)
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Dennis Schmidt-Foß | ... |
Prancer (voice)
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Tilo Schmitz | ... |
Rentier-Anführer (voice)
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| Barbara Schöneberger | ... |
Wilma (voice)
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Susan Slott | ... |
Oona (voice)
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Alan Stanford | ... |
Black Wolf (voice)
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Pete Stefanov | ... |
Niko (voice)
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Tiernan Surlis | ... |
Reindeer Boy (voice)
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| Paul Tylak | ... |
Specs / Prancer / Flying Forces (voice)
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Irina von Bentheim | ... |
Essie (voice)
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Bernhard Völger | ... |
Blitz (voice)
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Thomas Wolff | ... |
Smiley (voice)
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| Susan Zelouf | ... |
Essie (voice)
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Directed by
| Michael Hegner | ||
| Kari Juusonen | ||
Written by
| Hannu Tuomainen | ... | (written by) and |
| Marteinn Thorisson | ... | (written by) |
| Mark Hodkinson | ... | (additional dialogue) |
Produced by
| Jana Bohl | ... | line producer |
| Emely Christians | ... | co-producer |
| Ralph Christians | ... | co-producer |
| Marc Gabizon | ... | executive producer (uncredited) |
| Moe Honan | ... | line producer |
| Jaana Hovinen | ... | producer: Finland |
| Viola Lütten | ... | line producer: Germany |
| Lise Ann Mangino | ... | line producer: Denmark |
| Anders Mastrup | ... | co-producer |
| Petteri Pasanen | ... | producer |
| Irene Sparre Hjorthøj | ... | line producer |
| Hannu Tuomainen | ... | producer |
| Kristel Tõldsepp | ... | producer: A. Film Eesti |
Music by
| Stephen McKeon | ||
Editing by
| Per Risager | ||
Editorial Department
| Ronney Afortu | ... | colorist: Germany |
| Tim Hanschmidt | ... | trailer editor |
| Anke Höppner | ... | trailer editor |
| Tommi Ojala | ... | assistant editor: Finland |
Production Design by
| Antti Haikala | ||
Art Direction by
| Mikko Pitkänen | ... | supervising art director |
Production Management
| Emely Christians | ... | post-production supervisor: Germany |
| Nick Dorra | ... | production manager: Finland |
| Henri Leik | ... | production supervisor: A. Film Eesti |
| Sini Lindberg | ... | production manager: Finland |
| Viola Lütten | ... | production manager: Germany |
| Heather Grace Mills | ... | Ireland |
Art Department
| Maria Björklund | ... | assistant character designer: Finland |
| Kristian Huitula | ... | assistant character designer: Finland |
| Maria Jäppinen | ... | production artist: Finland |
| Kalle Kotila | ... | assistant character designer: Finland |
| Christian Kuntz | ... | assistant character designer: Denmark |
| Anssi Rauhala | ... | production artist: Finland |
| Aiju Salminen | ... | assistant character designer: Finland |
Sound Department
| Kerem Aktas | ... | dialogue mixer: Turkey |
| Magnus Axberg | ... | dialogue mixer: Finland |
| Alan Collins | ... | sound facility director: ardmore sound |
| Michelle Cunniffe | ... | sound mixer: Ireland |
| Kim Dalum | ... | dialogue recordist |
| Caoimhe Doyle | ... | foley effects: Ireland |
| Patrick Drummond | ... | lead sound editor: Ireland / sound designer |
| Steve Fanagan | ... | assistant foley artist: Ireland |
| John Fitzgerald | ... | sound mixer: Ireland |
| Sarah Gaines | ... | dialogue editor: Ireland |
| Brendan Geaney | ... | foley editor: Ireland |
| Hans Halmari | ... | sound recordist: Finland |
| Alex Hudd | ... | sound consultant: dolby |
| Michelle McCormack | ... | sound assistant trainee: Ireland |
| Jean McGrath | ... | foley recordist: Ireland |
| Neil McLauchlan | ... | on-line sound editor: Ireland |
| Jessie Mulligan | ... | assistant foley effects: Ireland |
| Matthias von Stegmann | ... | dubbing director: German version |
| Christopher R. Walsh | ... | sound effects editor: Ireland (as Chris Walsh) |
| Fabien Pochet | ... | adr mixer (uncredited) |
Visual Effects by
| Tomas Andreasson | ... | character blendshape artist: Denmark |
| Ralph Apfelbaum | ... | compositor: Germany |
| Tobias Becker | ... | simulation artist: Germany / visual effects: Germany |
| Thomas Diesselhorst | ... | digital artist |
| Jussi Dittmer | ... | lighting and texturing: Finland |
| Friedolin Dreesen | ... | simulation artist: Germany / visual effects: Germany |
| Volker Eichhorn | ... | effects-pipeline technical director: Visual Distractions |
| Pierre Grage | ... | effects technical director: Visual Distractions |
| Markus Haverinen | ... | lighting and texturing: Finland |
| Frank Hellmann | ... | digital intermediate supervisor: Germany |
| Julian Hermannsen | ... | compositing consulting: Germany / effects supervisor |
| Niko Hirvonen | ... | assistant lighting and texturing: Finland |
| Peke Huuhtanen | ... | visual effects animator: Finland |
| Simon Isenberg | ... | effects artist: Visual Distractions |
| Jani Kuronen | ... | lighting and texturing: Finland |
| Heli Laine | ... | visual effects animator: Finland |
| Marc H. Langbein | ... | digital effects artist: : Visual Distractions (as Marc Langbein) / visual effects |
| Garloff Langenbeck | ... | simulation artist: Germany / visual effects: Germany |
| Malte Lauinger | ... | digital effects artist: Visual Distrations |
| Tim Liebe | ... | lead compositor: Germany |
| François Lorain | ... | lighting and texturing: Finland (as Francois Lorain) |
| Antti Markkula | ... | visual effects animator: Finland |
| Olivier Martiny | ... | lighting and texturing: Finland / lighting technical director |
| Janne Mäkinen | ... | assistant lighting and texturing: Finland |
| Karsten Friis Nielsen | ... | rigging artist: Denmark / set-up: Denmark |
| Jacek Nowakowski Oczki | ... | character blendshape artist: Denmark (as Jacek Oczki) |
| Björn Pedersen | ... | character blendshape supervisor: Denmark (as Bjørn Pedersen) |
| Cornelius Porzig | ... | simulation artist: Germany / visual effects: Germany |
| Olli Rajala | ... | lighting and texturing: Finland |
| Poul Riishede | ... | character blendshape artist: Denmark (as Paul Riishede) |
| Aki Rissanen | ... | visual effects supervisor: Finland |
| Garry Runke | ... | simulation artist: Germany / visual effects: Germany |
| Anselm Seherr-Thoss | ... | simulation artist: Germany (as Anselm von Seherr-Thoss) / visual effects: Germany (as Anselm von Seherr-Thoss) |
| Markus 'Maggi' Selchow | ... | digital compositor |
| Jaakko Stenius | ... | visual effects animator: Finland |
| Sebastian Söderlund | ... | lighting and texturing: Finland |
| Søren M. Thomsen | ... | rigging supervisor: Denmark |
| Tommi Tissari | ... | compositor: Finland / lighting and texturing: Finland |
| Jari Vaara | ... | visual effects animator: Finland |
| Kustaa Vuori | ... | compositor: Finland / lighting and texturing: Finland |
| Stephan Wagemann | ... | compositor: Germany |
| Markus Wagenführ | ... | effects technical director: Visual Distractions |
| Thomas Wellendorf | ... | compositor: Germany |
| Florian Westermann | ... | compositor: Germany |
| Eva von Overheidt | ... | digital compositor (uncredited) |
| Sebastian von Overheidt | ... | digital compositor (uncredited) |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Antti Ripatti | ... | camera: final |
Animation Department
| Teemu Auersalo | ... | assistant layout artist: Finland / character animator: Finland |
| Snobar Avani | ... | animation trainee: Denmark |
| Svetlana Bezdomnikova | ... | character animator: A. Film Eesti |
| Peter Bohl | ... | key animator |
| Luca Bruno | ... | key animator |
| Margo Busch | ... | character animator: A. Film Eesti |
| Jussi Dittmer | ... | key location modeler: Finland |
| Luca Fattore | ... | character animator: Denmark |
| Goro Fujita | ... | character animator: Germany |
| Niels Grønlykke | ... | assistant layout artist: Denmark |
| Sakari Hakkarainen | ... | location modeler: Finland |
| Kim Helminen | ... | assistant character animator: Finland |
| Heiko Hentschel | ... | character animator: Germany |
| Jarkko Kainulainen | ... | character modeler: Finland / key location modeler: Finland |
| Jyrki Kanto | ... | assistant layout artist: Finland / character animator: Finland |
| Malte Lauinger | ... | character animator: Germany |
| Henri Leik | ... | animation supervisor: A. Film Eesti / character animator: A. Film Eesti |
| Antti Markkula | ... | location modeler: Finland |
| Aki Martikainen | ... | key location modeler: Finland / layout artist: Finland |
| Justin Joseph Murphy | ... | character animator: Denmark (as Justin Murphy) |
| Laura Neuvonen | ... | character animator: Finland |
| Alexander Nicolas Ostermann | ... | character animator: Germany (as Alexander N. Ostermann) |
| Björn Pedersen | ... | character animator: Denmark (as Bjørn Pedersen) |
| Ruslan Piterja | ... | character animator: A. Film Eesti |
| Mikko Pitkänen | ... | character designer: Finland / location designer: Finland |
| Stefan Prüss | ... | character animator: Denmark |
| Olli Rajala | ... | character supervisor: Finland |
| Antti Ripatti | ... | layout artist: Finland |
| Ludovic Savonnière | ... | key animator (as Ludo Savonniere) |
| Carsten Seller | ... | character animator: Germany |
| Jaakko Stenius | ... | location modeler: Finland |
| Evelin Temmin | ... | character animator: A. Film Eesti |
| Tommi Tissari | ... | assistant character modeler: Finland |
| Kenneth Vandel | ... | character animator: Denmark |
| Pekka Veikkolainen | ... | matte painter: Finland |
| Kustaa Vuori | ... | character modeler: Finland |
| Bert Zierfuss | ... | character animator: Denmark |
Casting Department
| Moe Honan | ... | casting: English version |
| Paulette Victor Lifton | ... | spanish voice casting (as Paulette Victor-Lifton) |
Music Department
| Mark Armstrong | ... | orchestrator: Ireland |
| The Filmharmonic Orchestra Prague | ... | orchestra |
| Adam Klemens | ... | conductor |
| Cenda Kotzman | ... | assistant music recordist (as Kotzman Cenda) |
| Jan Kotzmann | ... | music recordist: Ireland |
| Tim Martin | ... | music post-production: Ireland |
| Petr Pycha | ... | orchestra contractor |
Additional Crew
| Timo Ahvenainen | ... | licensing / merchandising |
| Nikolaj Berg Amondsen | ... | systems operator: Denmark (as Nikolaj Amondsen) |
| Jørgen Asmussen | ... | systems operator: Denmark |
| Teemu Auersalo | ... | marketing material designer: Finland |
| Elmar Behr | ... | systems manager: Germany |
| Ralph Bischoff | ... | accountant: Germany |
| Elske Bolten | ... | collecting agent |
| Christian Burgdorff | ... | project supervisor: Germany / recording: Germany |
| Hakim Chergui | ... | systems operator: Denmark (as Hakim Cherqui) |
| Sarah Conroy | ... | production trainee: Ireland |
| Nina Crone | ... | completion bond |
| Jesper Dahl | ... | systems operator: Denmark |
| Friedolin Dreesen | ... | technical director: Germany |
| Peter Egehoved | ... | systems manager: Denmark |
| John P Gleeson | ... | financing and tax advisor (as John Gleeson) |
| Uwe Grobecker | ... | tax advisor: Germany |
| Tarmo Haapasaari | ... | auditor: Finland |
| Maija Harper | ... | translator: Finland |
| Juuso Heikurainen | ... | licensing / merchandising |
| Roisin Henehan | ... | section 481 finance |
| James Hickey | ... | legal advisor: Ireland |
| Moe Honan | ... | dialogue director: English version |
| Niels Hopfenmüller | ... | making-of: Germany |
| Petteri Häkkinen | ... | legal advisor: Finland |
| Tomi Hölsö | ... | licensing / merchandising |
| Anne Jones | ... | accountant: Ireland |
| Anne Kokbøl Jørgensen | ... | contract lawyer (as Anne Jørgensen) |
| Jani Kuronen | ... | supervising technical director |
| Mikkel Lee | ... | creative consultant (as Mikkel Egelund) |
| Emilie Lillo | ... | legal advisor: Ireland |
| Lasse Lunden | ... | programmer: Finland / systems manager: Finland |
| Kai May | ... | legal advisor: Germany |
| Mikko Mikkola | ... | web master |
| Heather Mills | ... | production assistant: Ireland |
| Lorraine Morgan | ... | production coordinator: Ireland |
| Minna Mäntylä | ... | accountant: Finland |
| Kalle Määttä | ... | marketing material designer: Finland |
| Charlotte Müller | ... | production assistant: Denmark |
| Iman Nadaf | ... | making-of: Germany |
| Per Neumann | ... | completion bond |
| Wolfgang Neupert | ... | translator: Germany |
| Laust Palbo Nielsen | ... | assistant technical director: Denmark |
| Tommi Ojala | ... | making-of: Finland |
| Anna Paloniemi | ... | production assistant: Finland |
| Ari Parviainen | ... | dialog translator: Finland |
| Maike Paukstadt | ... | accountant: Germany |
| Mikko Pitkänen | ... | marketing material designer: Finland |
| Petr Pycha | ... | recording manager: Ireland |
| Olli Rajala | ... | supervising technical director |
| Fergal Redmond | ... | accountant: Ireland |
| Keijo Remes | ... | accountant: Finland |
| Natalie Riewesell | ... | post production assistant: Germany |
| Timo Rongas | ... | programmer: Finland |
| Nica Rossi | ... | Head of Marketing: Finland |
| Boris A. Rothe | ... | legal advisor: Germany / legal expert: Ireland |
| Markku Räsänen | ... | accountant: Finland |
| Petri Savolainen | ... | programmer: Finland |
| Simo Savolainen | ... | programmer: Finland |
| Raija Saxman | ... | accountant: Finland |
| Thomas Scholtz | ... | systems operator: Denmark |
| Lone Sloth | ... | finance manager: Denmark |
| Jakob Steffensen | ... | technical director: Denmark |
| Tommi Tissari | ... | marketing material designer: Finland |
| Jaan Tuominen | ... | legal advisor: Finland |
| Markus Tuppurainen | ... | marketing material designer: Finland |
| Eero Valanko | ... | sponsoring agent |
| Markku Varhela | ... | legal advisor: Finland |
| Sami Viljanto | ... | web master |
| Harro von Have | ... | legal advisor: Germany |
| Kustaa Vuori | ... | marketing material designer: Finland |
| Julia Weber | ... | worldwide sales: Global Screen |
| Mark Wittkowski | ... | scene checker: Germany |
| Maite Wokoeck | ... | production assistant: Germany (as Maite Woköck) |
| Kitty Zarbock | ... | legal advisor: Finland |
| Hans Perk | ... | technology consultant (uncredited) |
Production Companies
- Cinemaker Oy
- Anima Vitae
- A. Film
- Animaker
- Europool (co-production)
- Magma Films
- TV2 Danmark (co-production)
- The Weinstein Company
- Ulysses Filmproduktion
- Universum Film (UFA) (co-production)
- Yleisradio (YLE) (in collaboration with)
- ZDF Tivi (in collaboration with)
Distributors
- Bac Films (2008) (France) (theatrical)
- Belga Films (2008) (Belgium) (theatrical)
- Filmax (2008) (Spain) (theatrical)
- Hollywood Classic Entertainment (2008) (Czechia) (theatrical)
- Lizard Cinema Trade (2008) (Russia) (theatrical)
- Nordisk Film Biografdistribution (2008) (Denmark) (theatrical)
- Nordisk Film (2008) (Finland) (theatrical)
- RCV Film Distribution (2008) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
- Universum Film (UFA) (2009) (Germany) (theatrical)
- Belga Home Vidéo (2009) (Belgium) (DVD)
- Bridge Entertainment Group (2009) (Netherlands) (Blu-ray)
- Bridge Entertainment Group (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)
- CBS (2012) (United States) (tv)
- Genius Entertainment (2008) (United States) (DVD)
- JOJO (2009) (Turkey) (tv)
- Jetix (2009) (Netherlands) (tv)
- Ketnet (2016) (Belgium) (tv)
- Kino Swiat (2009) (Poland)
- MG Film (2008) (Croatia)
- Nordisk Film (2009) (Finland) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
- SIM Company (2014) (Japan) (DVD)
- Teleview International (2008) (Lebanon) (tv) (Middle East)
- The Weinstein Company (2008) (United States) (DVD)
- Valentim de Carvalho Multimédia (2011) (Portugal)
- Yleisradio (YLE) (2011) (Finland) (tv)
Special Effects
- Optical Art (DCP)
- Optical Art (colour grading)
- Optical Art (film recording)
Other Companies
- A. Film Eesti (additional animation)
- Anima Point (additional production)
- CNSO Studios (recording studio)
- Film Finances (completion bond)
- Gummerus (book publisher)
- Hanseblick (making of)
- Heinonen & co (legal advice)
- Indigo Softworks (programming)
- Juridia (legal advice)
- Kulma (licencing)
- Logonet (merchandising)
- Longbeard Sound (music post-production)
- Matheson Ormsby Prentice (legal advice)
- Original Version Filmproduktion (trailer editing)
- Promatch (sponsoring agent)
- Prosponsoring Finland (sponsoring agent)
- Tilitsto Laskentasysteemi (accounting)
- Tuotantotalo Werne (dialogue recording)
- visual distractions (visual effects) (3d SFX)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
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 | |
| Taglines | An all-new holiday movie about Santa and his little helpers! See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
| Certification |
Additional Details
| Also Known As |
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| Official Sites | |
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Box Office
| Budget | EUR6,100,000 (estimated) |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | This is the most expensive Finnish animated film. See more » |
| Goofs | In the film Wilma is said to be a lumikko (weasel), but she is actually a kärppä (stoat). The difference: a kärppä has a black tail-end and a lumikko has an all-white tail. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in Episode #39.15 (2008). See more » |
| Soundtracks | Tie tähtiin 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 » |
| Quotes |
Rimppa:
I don't want to sound gushy or anything, but I want you to know... Essie: Yes? Rimppa: I would never eat you. Essie: That's... sweet. See more » |