Film

Long Way North

A French-Russian animated adventure about a teenage girl who stows away on an Arctic expedition to find her lost grandfather's ship. It's a gorgeously hand-drawn story of courage and self-discovery, with the icy landscape as much a character as Sasha herself. For anyone who loves period adventure and animation that moves like a living painting.

TMDb rating3.7

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love hand-drawn animation that trusts landscape and silence over constant plot, and want an adventure where a stubborn young woman's courage shows through patience and small decisions.

Skip it if you want brisk set-pieces and snappy comedy, since this moves at a measured, wintry pace and its wonder comes in long, quiet stretches of ice and sea.

What it asks of you: Its running time is brief, but it wants you to settle into long stretches of silence and read faces and frozen scenery more than dialogue.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Moana2016

A spirited teenager defies tradition to save her people, propelled by determination and inner strength. Stunning animation, infectious music, and genuine emotional stakes wrapped in adventure.

But The Disney formula is comforting to some and predictable to others. If you need surprises over warmth, it might feel familiar.

Moana poster

How to Train Your Dragon2010

A misfit kid proves himself through courage and connection rather than brute strength. The animation is fluid and inventive, the adventure breathtaking, and the heart absolutely genuine.

But It's the first film in a trilogy; if you're unsure about the story world, committing to all three might feel daunting.

How to Train Your Dragon poster

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time2006

A Japanese anime about a girl discovering she can leap backwards through moments. Visually dreamy, emotionally smart, and deeply concerned with what it means to grow up.

But It's quieter and more introspective than Western animation. If you need constant forward momentum, it might feel slow.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Long Way North

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Sherpa2015

Both follow individuals pursuing dangerous goals in extreme geography—but Sherpa strips away the romance to show the human cost. Where Long Way North is an inspired girl's journey, Sherpa documents what those journeys mean to the guides who make them possible.

A documentary about the lives, resilience, and exploitation of Sherpa climbers on Everest. Raw, urgent, gorgeously filmed—it makes you feel the mountain and honor the people who climb it.

But It's sobering and sometimes painful to watch. The climbing sequences, though beautiful, don't carry romantic adventure but real danger and death.

Sherpa poster
More like this (8)

Atlantis: The Lost Empire2001

A young linguist joins an expedition to find a lost civilization. Steampunk adventure, unusual character design, and a plot that trusts the audience's intelligence. Deeply underrated.

But The pacing is brisk to the point of breathlessness; character development takes a backseat to plot. Some find it exhausting rather than exciting.

Atlantis: The Lost Empire poster

Wolfwalkers2020

Two girls—one human, one wolfwalker—find friendship across a forbidden boundary in medieval Ireland. Exquisite hand-drawn animation, a premise that matters, and genuine magic.

But It has a didactic streak about colonialism and the environment. If you'd prefer subtlety, the message can feel heavy-handed.

Wolfwalkers poster

The Tale of Despereaux2008

A small mouse in love with a princess embarks on a quest through a storybook world. Tender, gorgeously animated, and genuinely moving without being saccharine.

But It's gentler and slower than most animated films. If you need action or humor to stay engaged, it might feel thin.

The Tale of Despereaux poster

Raya and the Last Dragon2021

A warrior travels a richly imagined Southeast Asian-inspired world searching for a dragon to save her people. Excellent animation, sharp writing, and a female lead who's both strong and flawed.

But The plot occasionally overcomplicates itself. Some threads feel half-explored, as if scenes were cut.

Raya and the Last Dragon poster

The Secret of Kells2009

A boy on the edge of the magical world discovers a secret book. Visually astonishing—the animation style is genuinely distinctive—and steeped in Irish mythology and folklore.

But The narrative is dreamlike and sometimes hard to follow. If you need clear plot logic, you might find it frustrating.

The Secret of Kells poster

The Iron Giant1999

A boy befriends a Cold War-era robot. Hand-drawn, warmly funny, unexpectedly profound about violence and choice. A genuine classic that deserves more love.

But The animation has a dated look by current standards. If you need cutting-edge visuals, it might read as rough.

The Iron Giant poster

Expedition Happiness2017

Both celebrate the intoxication of leaving safety behind to pursue something impossible. But where Long Way North is an imagined journey, this is a real couple chasing the same kind of freedom.

A couple quits their jobs to drive a school bus across the Americas, filming their journey. Utterly joyful, gorgeously shot, genuinely spontaneous. It has the same spirit of restless adventure as Long Way North.

But It's a vlog before vlogging was mainstream—occasionally self-indulgent, sometimes shapeless. If you need tight narrative structure, it meanders.

Expedition Happiness poster

The Lighthouse2019

Both trap their protagonists in extreme isolation fighting the elements, but The Lighthouse inverts the adventure fantasy—showing what isolation actually does to the human mind. It's the dark mirror to Sasha's journey north.

Two men alone on a remote island descend into obsession and madness. Shot in black-and-white and an unusual aspect ratio, it's hypnotic, strange, and utterly original. Lighthouse-as-tomb instead of beacon.

But It's deliberately claustrophobic, repetitive, and slow. The tone is dread, not adventure. It demands patience and won't give you relief.

The Lighthouse poster

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