Norway 2017
Opening June 28, 2018

Directed by: Simel Alsvik, William Ashurst
Writing credits: Simen Alsvik, Karsten Fullu
Principal actors: animation spoken by Tobias Kreel and others

Elias (Tobias Kreel) is a small rescue boat, always on call to tug to safety larger boats which have struck rocks or stranded on the beach or lost control in storms. Otherwise, he putts around the coast with his boat friends Mini and Flitzi. The cheerful sea gulls Flipp and Flatter sit on Blinkli the lighthouse and give advice as the boats plan activities and decorations for the Northern Lights Festival. One day Elias heroically rescues a freighter named Waghals. This brave deed attracts the attention of Kristina, the ferry, who awards him with a more responsible job in the Big Harbor. He is amazed at the huge container ships; three girly boats follow him around; he discovers illegal smuggling which leads him to his most dangerous intervention. But most of all, he realizes how lonely he is without his friends. Naturally, the moral of the story is: Learn to judge what is really important.

The first Elias children’s books by Alf Knutsen came out 1999 in Norway. This was followed by television series in 2005, 2008, and 2015. Netflix bought the series and showed it in English. Two longer films were made for Norwegian television. The original author Knutsen has been involved with all of these productions. Now we have the first full-length (73-minute) film to show in German cinemas. All of the boats are personified with no real people anywhere. I was impressed that the animators could take something as simple as a floating soap dish, add a chimney and make it come alive. There are 11 songs put together by composer Gaute Storaas, and muscians Marcus & Martinus and Ravi. (Becky T.)