Tommy and the Wildcat (Finnish: Poika ja ilves) is a 1998 Finnish adventure family film directed by Raimo O. Niemi and Ville Suhonen, and starring Konsta Hietanen. It tells story about Tommy, the twelve-year-old boy, who tries to help a lynx named Leevi to survive in the wilderness.
The lynx in the film was a played by lynx named Väinö from the Ranua Zoo. Väinö was born in 1996 and died in May 1999. It is assumed that he climbed up the mesh fence and fell on a sharp stone, which resulted in the death of the animal. Väinö had gotten used to people as a kitty when he had grown up in home care after being abandoned by his mother.
The film was shot in both Finnish and English. The final English dialogue is dubbed over the English-acted version. The production of the film costs were more than 13 million Finnish marks, which made it one of the most expensive film productions in Finland at the time.
The film premiered in Finland on December 18, 1998. It gathered a total of 380,000 viewers in Finland. The film was awarded the People's Choice Award at the Jussi Awards and The Green Screen Prize at the 2000 Chicago International Children's Film Festival. In August 2019, the film was released in cinemas again as a restored version.
Cast[]
| Character | Original Actor | Dub Actor |
|---|---|---|
| Tommy Oksa | Konsta Hietanen | Michael Caloz |
| Uncle Jouko | Risto Tuorila | Doug Lennox |
| Herman Haapala | Jarmo Mäkinen | Michael Copeman |
| Olli Oksa | Antti Virmavirta | Adrian Truss |
| Helena Torvinen | Kristiina Halttu | Kirsten Bishop |
| Jaska | Rauno Ahonen | Tony Daniels |
| Oula | Jussi Puhakka | Robert Tinkler |
| Kalle Pokka | Markku Huhtamo | Aron Tager |
| Park Director | Mikko KIvinen | Richard Blackburn |