Fly Away Home (1996)

I wanted to but couldn't!

Fantastic!

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Anna Paquin makes this a movie for all ages. She has been described by some reviewers as a sixteen year old when she made this movie, but since she was born in 1982 and the movie was released in 1996 I figure she was probably thirteen when it was produced, and her acting was superb for a child that age. Heck, it was superb for an actress of any age.The story is of a girl named Amy who was separated from her father as a young child when her parents divorced and her mother took her to New Zealand. When her mother is killed in an auto accident her father returns her to his home in Canada where she becomes withdrawn until she rescues a clutch of Canadian Goose eggs that had been abandoned by the mother. She cares for the eggs until they hatch and the goslings imprint her as their mother.The goslings grow to maturity through the summer, and when the time for them to migrate south is approaching it becomes necessary for them to be lead on their trip by Amy and her father who fly two ultra light planes to guide them on their way south.This may be a spoiler: As they fly south and are nearing their goal, a wetlands area in one of the Carolinas, the father's ultra light crashes. He is only slightly injured but his plane is destroyed and Amy must carry on alone for the last few miles. The ending is very touching and emotional when she reaches the end of the journey, but even though it brings tears to my eyes each time I watch it, it could have been made more dramatic if the fact that she was now alone in the sky, somewhat anxious and out of touch, had been emphasized by the TV announcers so that the final scene when her plane, and the geese, appeared suddenly over the dunes would be even more dramatic.I highly recommend this movie for both children and adults. The co-star, Jeff Daniels, and supporting actress Dana Delaney, are superb in their roles. Dana Delaney is always magnificent and even in this somewhat minor role she lights up the screen. This is a must see movie.

I had kind of half meant to watch this movie for ages, and finally did so yesterday.I wish I hadn't waited so long! There are a number of things which make this movie well worth watching.One, it looks great - some fabulous scenery filmed during the always photogenic autumn.Two, that great look includes much scarcely believable aerial photography featuring a flock of geese following a microlight aircraft.Three, at the heart of the movie is a fragile relationship between a father and daughter who scarcely know each other, beautifully portrayed by Jeff Daniels and Anna Paquin.The film is good to look at, and always interesting and emotionally engaging.A small masterpiece.

As a film student, I naturally started to fast forward through the opening titles to get to the film. Then I had to rewind.The viewer gets kicked in the privates in the first minute of the titles. Then again two minutes later.A lot of the film is shot in the golden hours just after sunrise and just before sunset, making for some great imagery.The story is pretty adult for a family film. Familiar family issues are not candy-coated in the script.As for being believable, it is based on a true story, and yes, the amazing fridge is from a real design by the inventor at the heart of the true story.The final chapter contains simply superb flying shots worthy of National Geographic.I don't think there was any time wasted on sentimental stuff, just enough to get the point stated, then immediately move on.Worth seeking out the collectors addition for the extras that explain how close to reality the basic concept is - teaching geese to fly home.Good film, well made, great acting, superb photography.Why not a ten? The story was based too much on reality - however amazing. The photography was great, but not ground breaking.

Based on a true story, this is a cute and cuddly film for both the kids and the grown-ups. Basically after the death of her mother in New Zealand, 13-year-old Amy Alden (Anna Paquin) goes to Canada to live with her eccentric inventor father Thomas 'Tom' (Jeff Daniels) who she barely knows. Amy is pretty miserable for a while, but after some developers had been tearing down the local forest, she finds a nest of orphaned goose eggs, and she is determined to look after them. When they hatch, they obviously see the first person they see, Amy, as "Mother Goose", and with the help of her Dad, they are determined to preserve, parent, and eventually prepare them to migrate. It is when Tom invents a working microlight and small plane that they can really progress with helping them fly, and the most spectacular journey south begins. Also starring Superman - The Animated Series' Dana Delany as Susan Barnes, Terry Kinney as David Alden, Holter Graham as Barry Stickland, Jeremy Ratchford as DNR Officer Glen Seifert, Deborah Verginella as Amy's Mother and Michael J. Reynolds as General. Daniels and young Paquin both give very appealing performances, and the geese are of course the most cute and cuddly, well, feathery and fun, sight to see, a very heartwarming story. It was nominated the Oscar for Best Cinematography. It was number 95 on The 100 Greatest Family Films. Very good!