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Fly Away Home

  • 19961996
  • PGPG
  • 1h 47m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
25K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Fly Away Home (1996)
Home Video Trailer from Columbia Tristar
Play trailer2:40
1 Video
76 Photos
  • Adventure
  • Drama
  • Family

A father and daughter decide to attempt to lead a flock of orphaned Canada Geese south by air.A father and daughter decide to attempt to lead a flock of orphaned Canada Geese south by air.A father and daughter decide to attempt to lead a flock of orphaned Canada Geese south by air.

IMDb RATING
6.9/10
25K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Carroll Ballard
  • Writers
    • Bill Lishman(autobiography)
    • Robert Rodat(screenplay)
    • Vince McKewin(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Jeff Daniels
    • Anna Paquin
    • Dana Delany
Top credits
  • Director
    • Carroll Ballard
  • Writers
    • Bill Lishman(autobiography)
    • Robert Rodat(screenplay)
    • Vince McKewin(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Jeff Daniels
    • Anna Paquin
    • Dana Delany
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 103User reviews
    • 46Critic reviews
    • 77Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 5 wins & 7 nominations total

    Videos1

    Fly Away Home
    Trailer 2:40
    Fly Away Home

    Photos76

    Jeff Daniels, Dana Delany, and Anna Paquin in Fly Away Home (1996)
    Jeff Daniels and Anna Paquin in Fly Away Home (1996)
    Anna Paquin in Fly Away Home (1996)
    Anna Paquin in Fly Away Home (1996)
    Anna Paquin in Fly Away Home (1996)
    Anna Paquin and Carroll Ballard in Fly Away Home (1996)
    Anna Paquin in Fly Away Home (1996)
    Fly Away Home (1996)
    Fly Away Home (1996)
    Anna Paquin in Fly Away Home (1996)
    Anna Paquin in Fly Away Home (1996)
    Anna Paquin in Fly Away Home (1996)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jeff Daniels
    Jeff Daniels
    • Thomas Aldenas Thomas Alden
    Anna Paquin
    Anna Paquin
    • Amy Aldenas Amy Alden
    Dana Delany
    Dana Delany
    • Susan Barnesas Susan Barnes
    Terry Kinney
    Terry Kinney
    • David Aldenas David Alden
    Holter Graham
    Holter Graham
    • Barry Stricklandas Barry Strickland
    Jeremy Ratchford
    Jeremy Ratchford
    • Glen Seifertas Glen Seifert
    Deborah Verginella
    • Amy's Motheras Amy's Mother
    Michael J. Reynolds
    Michael J. Reynolds
    • Generalas General
    David Hemblen
    David Hemblen
    • Dr. Killianas Dr. Killian
    Ken James
    • Developeras Developer
    Nora Ballard
    • Jackieas Jackie
    Sarena Paton
    • Lauraas Laura
    Carmen Lishman
    • Older Girlas Older Girl
    Christi Hill
    • Older Girlas Older Girl
    Judith Orban
    • Teacheras Teacher
    Jeff Braunstein
    • Chairmanas Chairman
    John Friesen
    • Smalltown Businessmanas Smalltown Businessman
    Chris Benson
    • Farmeras Farmer
    • Director
      • Carroll Ballard
    • Writers
      • Bill Lishman(autobiography)
      • Robert Rodat(screenplay)
      • Vince McKewin(screenplay)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Amy is only 13 years old when her mother is killed in an auto wreck in New Zealand. She goes to Canada to live with her father, an eccentric inventor whom she barely knows. Amy is miserable in her new life...that is until she discovers a nest of goose eggs that were abandoned when developers began tearing up a local forest. The eggs hatch and Amy becomes "Mama Goose". The young birds must fly south for the winter, but who will lead them there? With a pair of ultralight airplanes, Amy, her dad and their friends must find a way to do it. —Martin Lewison <lewison+@pitt.edu>
    • child pilot
    • tuba
    • guitar
    • goose
    • canada
    • 48 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • The Most Enchanted Love Story Ever Told
    • Genres
      • Adventure
      • Drama
      • Family
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated PG for an opening accident scene and some mild language
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In the film, Amy (played by Anna Paquin) was raised in New Zealand and then moved to Canada after her mother's death. In real life, Anna Paquin was born in Canada and raised in New Zealand.
    • Goofs
      The end of the movie mentions "all 16 geese including Igor", but there are a total of 17 geese including Igor. In flying scenes, 16 geese can be seen in the air while Igor remains on the ground or with Amy.
    • Quotes

      Amy Alden: Mama to Papa. That was so cool!

      Thomas Alden: Yeah, great. I just made a criminal out of my own daughter. Now we'll both do time behind bars.

      Amy Alden: Dad, stop being so dramatic.

      Thomas Alden: Now, look, this is just the beginning, Amy. We've got to make 120 nautical miles by sundown, fly across Lake Ontario, cross an international boundary without a permit carrying stolen goods, without filing a flight plan, without any official approval, four days behind schedule. We're on the edge, my dear.

    • Crazy credits
      Amy's birds return the following year to Amy's surprise as she wakes up one morning.
    • Alternate versions
      The phrase "holy s*it" has bee restored from US Versions of 2001 re-release
    • Connections
      Featured in HBO First Look: 'Fly Away Home': Leading the Flock (1996)
    • Soundtracks
      10,000 Miles
      Produced by Mark Isham, John Jennings, and Mary Chapin Carpenter

      Performed by Mary Chapin Carpenter

      Courtesy of Columbia Records

    User reviews103

    Review
    Top review
    A Story of Returning to Joy
    The greatest challenge any of us will ever face is how to regain the ability to reach for joy after the loss of a loved one. Especially, when that loss is abrupt and occurs at an age before one has developed the capacities to manage it. That is the over-arching and powerful theme that "Fly Away Home" manages to evoke so beautifully.

    It's difficult to pin-point which of the masterfully developed elements of filmmaking that make this movie such a joy to watch again and again. But, surely, it all comes down to the great story-telling ability of Mr. Carol Ballard. Everything is harnessed to tell the story (a basic element of drama surprisingly ignored these days in Hollywood) of a girl who loses her mother at a critical point in her life, and has to find a way to the rest of her life, while reeling from the trauma and uncertain of how to survive her grief.

    The discovery of an abandoned nest of Canadian geese eggs is the simple overlaying metaphor that takes us on her journey. The great difference between this movie and other movies of its type is that Mr. Ballard resists the temptation to explicate the transcendent story of Amy's emotional triumph over her loss and grief. Simply put, the story is about the geese, but it's really about Amy's recovery and reconnection with her future, with her life, though there isn't one line of dialogue explaining that to the viewer. It seeps out of the story through the masterful, chekovian performances of Anna Paquin as Amy and Jeff Daniels as her father. This theme is supported with such unerring consistency in the music (Mark Isham at his most sublime), the cinematography, editing, lighting, art direction and casting. All of the casting is just perfect. Especially in the sense that none of the actors ever seem to be pulling anything out of their "bag of tricks" or doing some bit you've seen them do before. The quality of the work is such that much of the dialogue in the movie seems spontaneous and almost ad libbed. The final sequence is a thing of sublime, subtly powerful beauty that is rarely seen in movies these days. A powerful, wordless climax. Something that happens so effortlessly, because the story that comes before has been told so completely and with such skill. I cry every time I watch it.

    Thank you, Carol Ballard, for this beautiful gift of compassion and belief.

    Note: Did Anna Paquin actually move from little girl to adolescent in the course of making this movie, or is it more of the master magicianry of Carol Ballard and his team?
    helpful•43
    3
    • dcombs100
    • Apr 8, 2002

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    [object Object]
    Photos

    FAQ1

    • Is this movie based on a book?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 13, 1996 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Father Goose
    • Filming locations
      • Sandbanks Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada
    • Production companies
      • Columbia Pictures
      • Sandollar Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $22,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $25,143,818
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $4,708,044
      • Sep 15, 1996
    • Gross worldwide
      • $25,143,818
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 47 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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