Niko & The Way to the Stars (Niko – Lentäjän poika) is a 2008 computer animated Christmas film directed by Michael Hegner and Kari Juusonen. It revolves around a young reindeer named Niko who must overcome his fear of flying by heading to Santa Claus' fell to save him and his fleet of flying reindeer from a pack of wolves. The film was a Finnish production with co-producers in Denmark, Germany and Ireland. It was produced by Anima Vitae, Animaker Oy, A. Film A/S, Ulysses Films, and Magma Films. The animation was produced in Finland, Germany and Denmark, with post-production carried out in Ireland. A 45-minute television edit in American English, was produced in the United States for CBS under the title The Flight Before Christmas. A sequel, Little Brother, Big Trouble: A Christmas Adventure was released in October 2012 in Finland. It is one of the most expensive Finnish films.
The US release of the film redubs the voices of Julius and Wilma with Norm MacDonald and Emma Roberts respectively.
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Cast[]
| Character | Original Actor | Dub Actor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original | Redub | ||
| Niko | Olli Jantunen | Andrew McMahon | |
| Julius | Hannu-Pekka Björkman | Morgan Jones | Norm MacDonald |
| Black Wolf | Vesa Vierikko | Alan Stanford | |
| Essie | Minttu Mustakallio | Susan Zelouf | |
| Wilma | Vuokko Hovatta | Aileen Mythen | Emma Roberts |
| Smiley | ¿? | Gavin Morgan | |
| Saga | Juulia Rönkkö | Carly Baker | |
| Prancer | Niels Olsen | Paul Tylak | |
| Leader | Tommi Korpela | Patrick Fitzsymons | |
| Grandpa | Aarre Karén | ||
| Santa's Flying Forces | ¿? | Morgan Jones Paul Tylak Patrick Fitzsymons | |
| Oona | Elina Knihtilä | Susan Slott | |
Video Releases[]
| Distributor | Year | Format | Region | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genius Products | 2008 | 
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1 NTSC |
United States | 
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| Lizard Cinema Trade | 2009 | 
|
All DVB-T |
Russia | 
|
| Nordisk Film | B DVB-T |
Finland | 
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| Sweden | 
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| Videa Cde | Italy | 
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| Universum Film | 2010 | Germany | 
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| BAC Films | 2011 | France | 
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See Also[]
External Links[]
- The Flight Before Christmas at the Internet Movie Database