The Flight Before Christmas (2008 film)
| The Flight Before Christmas | |
|---|---|
Finnish theatrical release poster | |
| Finnish | Niko – lentäjän poika |
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| Directed by | Michael Hegner Kari Juusonen |
| Written by | Mark Hodkinson Marteinn Thorisson Hannu Tuomainen |
| Produced by | Hannu Tuomainen Petteri Pasanen |
| Starring | Olli Jantunen Hannu-Pekka Björkman Vuokko Hovatta Vesa Vierikko Jussi Lampi Risto Kaskilahti |
| Edited by | Per Risager |
| Music by | Stephen McKeon |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Nordisk Film (Finland and Denmark) Universum Film (Germany) Magma Films (United Kingdom and Ireland) |
Release dates |
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Running time | 80 minutes 45 minutes (TV version) |
| Countries | Finland Denmark Germany Ireland |
| Languages | English Finnish |
| Budget | €6,100,000 |
| Box office | $21,822,495 |
Niko & The Way to the Stars (Finnish: Niko – lentäjän poika, lit. 'Niko – A flyer's son') is a 2008 animated epic 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, Cinemaker 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.
Two sequels, Little Brother, Big Trouble: A Christmas Adventure, and Niko: Beyond the Northern Lights, were released in 2012 and 2024 in Finland, respectively.