Feb 4, 2016

Shout Factory reveals US new distribution details about "Long Way North"

Shout Factory revealed more details today about its pickup of the hand-drawn French adventure film Long Way North (Tout en haut du monde), which we first reported on Cartoon Brew last week.

Sold by Urban Distribution International, Shout has secured all U.S. distribution rights to the Rémi Chayé-directed film, including theatrical, broadcast, video on-demand, digital and home entertainment rights for cross-platform releases.

The Los Angeles-based Shout plans a strategic rollout across multiple platforms, beginning with a theatrical launch in fall 2016 through its family imprint, Shout! Factory Kids. Long Way North will have its North American premiere next month at the New York International Children's Film Festival.

While Shout has released numerous family-friendly CG features in the States including Snowtime!, Thunder and The House of Magic, Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart, and The Seventh Dwarf, Chayé's feature stands apart for its creative merit, and is more reminiscent of the type of international animated films that GKIDS brings to American audiences. Long Way North won the audience award at Annecy last year, and was launched in French cinemas last week to a positive reception.

“Long Way North is a beautifully-made animated feature, bolstered by emotionally resonant storytelling and exquisite hand-drawn animation,” said Melissa Boag, senior vice president of kids and family entertainment at Shout Factory. “We look forward to bringing this remarkable movie to animation enthusiasts and broad movie audiences later this year.”

The film is about a young aristocratic Russian girl who escapes an arranged marriage and goes on a journey to find her grandfather and his missing ship that disappeared during an expedition to the North Pole. The English voice cast consists of Chloé Dunn, Vivienne Vermes, Peter Hudson, Antony Hickling, Tom Perkins, Geoffrey Greenhill, Claire Harrison-Bullett, Bibi Jacob, Martin Lewis, Tom Morton, Leslie Clack, Kester Lovelace and Damian Corcoran.