Long Way North Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Long Way North Blu-ray Movie Review

Ice (coming of) age.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 3, 2017

Like many fans of animated films, I’ve regularly marveled at the wonders that the wizards of modern “cartoon” emporiums like Pixar, Disney and Dreamworks have offered to audiences. The technical achievements of computer driven animation have gotten more and more mind boggling since what now almost seems like the veritable “Dark Ages” of the Toy Story era. With the sheer perfection of imagery that so many modern CGI-fests offer, is there still room for a more traditionally animated film (or a film that at least looks traditionally animated, even if it has been aided and abetted by some computer imagery) to really make a significant impact? The answer would seem to be at least a qualified "yes" even from Pixar’s John Lasseter himself, who has of course championed the inimitable work of Hayao Miyazaki, though it’s important to note that box office receipts and home video sales for Studio Ghibli films rarely if ever reach the astronomical proportions of the biggest Pixar blockbusters. My personal answer is most decidedly "yes", and it’s based on a by now rather long list of at least partially hand drawn efforts that have really delighted my eyes over the past several years. Michel Ocelot’s whimsical films (Tales of the Night) are a great example of someone eschewing the typical frameworks not just of blockbuster Pixar entries but even the more predictable cel animation that has appeared over the course of the CGI era. There have been a number of other really fascinating animated films, many originating at least in part from France, including The Secret of Kells and The Painting, though the latter is a notable example of CGI “masquerading” as traditional cel animation. While Long Way North marks the feature film directing debut of Rémi Chayé, it’s perhaps instructive to note the Chayé cut his animation teeth on both The Secret of Kells and The Painting (along with a handful of other entries). Long Way North has a bit more of a minimalist ambience than either The Secret of Kells or The Painting, but it has the same charming approach that becomes increasingly ingratiating as the story progresses.

Sacha is young headstrong Russian girl in the late 19th century whose noble birth has provided her both with opportunity and restrictions. Her grandfather Oloukine was a world famous explorer who (supposedly) discovered a water passage linking the Atlantic to the Pacific but who later vanished in his quest to plant Russia’s flag at the North Pole and who is presumed dead. Sacha is first seen sneaking into a museum honoring her late grandfather, hiding when Prince Tomsky, a new advisor to the Tsar, arrives to disparage the explorer as having wasted a lot rubles in impossible dreams.

Later that evening Sacha makes her “debut” at a glittering ball that is also welcoming Prince Tomsky to St. Petersburg. In the meantime, Sacha has discovered an important clue which leads her to believe all the search parties sent out after Oloukine had actually been looking in the wrong place, and she tries to get the dismissive Tomsky to agree to a new expedition to track down the missing explorer. Of course Tomsky is having none of it, at which point Sacha predictably decides to head off into the wild north herself. This first section of Long Way North suffers a bit from expected plot mechanics, with Sacha coming off as yet another adventurous heroine destined to toppled perceived social strictures and prove that “girl power” (or something like that) is a real thing. Fortunately, once the film sets out to follow Sacha on her quest, things begin to take some dramatic and rather touching turns.

Sacha’s adventures once she leaves the comfort of her parents palatial mansion are in some ways predictable, including a bit of a romance with a shiphand and an initially daunting bit of employment that kind of presages a similar plot device of Russian nobility having to land workaday jobs in Tovarich. But perhaps unexpectedly, Long Way North starts developing some really resonant emotional content, especially once Sacha is able to forge her way into the frozen north where she hopes to find her grandfather.

Long Way North has some inarguably standard plot formulations in terms of a young girl finding herself (while attempting to find her grandfather) and learning she has everything she needs to succeed without external approval, but the film is so unique in its setting and certain story elements that it tends to quite easily rise above the ruts its general premise offers. The film also features a gorgeous, if minimalist, design aesthetic that takes a bit of getting used to, but which ultimately is kind of oddly soothing after a while.

Long Way North Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Long Way North is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout! Factory Kids, an imprint of Shout! Factory, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Shout! sent a rather large amount of supporting press documentation with this release, including some extended interviews with director Rémi Chayé where he talks about some of the influences which led to this film's unique design aesthetic. As can be seen in the screenshots accompanying this review, things are intentionally "flat" and blocky, with an absence of outlines that Chayé specifically mentions was done to simplify the look of the piece. As such, there may not appear to be a lot of "wow" factor in the visuals, especially with a palette that rarely if ever pops in a more picaresque (Pixar- esque?) way. But with the film's design aesthetic accepted for what it is and what it can provide, this transfer is quite enjoyable, with solid representations of what is admittedly a rather restrained array of hues. Ironically, the block color approach sometimes gives the illusion of macroblocking, since there are big "splotches" of color within other colors, but these are actually intentional design choices and not the result of any compression issues.

Long Way North Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Long Way North features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks in both English and French. The general mixes are identical (to my ears, anyway) aside from the language being spoken, and my personal reaction is you can't really go wrong with either of these tracks. There are some interesting differences in performances (some of the English voice cast seems a bit artificial sounding at times), but the tracks offer excellent fidelity and some good surround activity, especially in details like the ambient environmental noises Sacha experiences as she forays into frigid northern climes. Dialogue and score are both rendered clearly and with excellent prioritization.

Long Way North Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Conceptual Short (1080p; 2:04) is what I assume was used to sell the project to interested investors.


• Behind the Scenes Featurette (1080p; 38:56) has some interesting footage of real life scenes being shot as reference material, as well as the long gestational period the project experienced, and some good footage of the voice actors recording their roles. In French with subtitles.


• Interview with Director Rémi Chayé and Producer Henri Magalon (1080p; 29:53) is a good "tour" through the project's background and fruition. In English.


• Still Gallery - Character Design (1080p; 4:09)


• Still Gallery - Concept Art (1080p; 2:28)


• Animatics (1080p; 3:28)

Long Way North Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Long Way North may not have enough "oomph" to appeal to the youngest members of the potential viewing audience, especially if they favor the whiz bang aesthetic of the big Pixar blockbusters. But for those willing to give this film a bit of time to develop its characters and story, there are some abundant dividends which are ultimately forthcoming. The film's remarkable, if apparently "simple", design approaches take a bit of getting used to, but the story is fascinating and provides some significant emotion. Technical merits are strong, and Long Way North comes Highly recommended.