Fly Away Home

• Anna Paquin as Amy Alden,
• Jeff Daniels as Thomas Alden,
• Dana Delany as Susan Barnes,
• Terry Kinney as David Alden,
• Holter Graham as Barry Stickland

Amy and the wild geese (AKA Fly Away Home) is a 1995/1996 in Canada turned feature film about the migration of Canada geese.

The film is based on the true story of William Lishman, a Canadian inventor, who was the first out of Canada Geese his ultralight aircraft in the South.

Action

The 14 -year-old Amy Alden (Anna Paquin ) is brought to Canada on his farm after the accidental death of their mother living in New Zealand by her father Thomas Alden ( Jeff Daniels). However, since it has almost no emotional relationship with her father, from whom the mother had long been separated, she finds herself in a difficult her completely changed life and into the new environment. She misses her friends and her mother, but quickly finds the new girlfriend of her father's girlfriend. Her father is, just like her mother, an artist and earns his money with sculptures and inventions.

On their forays into the surrounding Amy one day discovered in a cleared forest, the orphaned nest of a Canada goose. She incubates the eggs in a drawer and finally draws 16 young geese on. The birds imprinted on Amy, they consider as a parent and follow her everywhere. It is characterized thereupon a dispute with an employee of nature conservation authority from who wants to clip the wings of the geese, to prevent them from flying.

Amy geese do not fly but even so, as the young geese usually follow their parents in the southern winter quarters and so learn to fly and the right route. So Amy's geese that can also learn Amy's father has the idea his ultralight aircraft to show the way to the south. Since the geese but only Amy follow, all attempts fail, the aircraft as a guide goose recognize. When Amy tried himself to fly the aircraft in secret, follow her the geese immediately. However, it is only a few meters wide and crashes from a low height, but survives the crash unhurt. Her father then sold some of his artworks, Amy purchased from the proceeds a private, secure, microlight flying and begins her teaching.

With the help of some other friends and relatives to get in touch with an American ornithologist who knows a bird sanctuary in North Carolina, which was, however, no longer visited by migratory birds lately. It should therefore be used in the future as building land, when to arrive at a date no migratory birds. If it would be possible to bring the geese there, they would automatically return every year there and so also preserve the nature reserve off the building.

Shortly before the scheduled departure, however, the staff of the conservation authority stealing the birds to still to clip the wings them the next day. In the early morning it free family friends the geese back from their cages. After a pre- abgesprochenem schedule Amy flies over the terrain and the geese follow her to the south.

The flight is very tiring especially for the untrained geese. After crossing into the U.S. through Lake Ontario to land shortly after sunset with the last bit of fuel on a barely discernible on the shore " landing area ", but which turns out to be U.S. Air Force base. There, the intruders are located by the radar and the camera triggers an alarm. Two F -16 are already ready to intercept, but time is still recognized what was flying toward the base. Amy and her father will be provided after landing. The airfield commander accuses them with a straight face that they have " set back the emotional development of its pilots by 20 years." However, the commander turns out to be humorous and understanding person, the two eventually even supported. For the night he provides for the Ultralight and the geese a hangar available and can be combined with the " invaders " photograph of the military press. He also informs the general press, so that henceforth the U.S. media reports favorably on the projects of Amy and her father.

The flight runs in stages, they are supported at the stopovers made by following them on the ground friends, but also by helpful strangers. At a later stretch the navigation device fails, because Amy's father had not charged the batteries and in the fog they find themselves unexpectedly in the street canyons Baltimore again, but this in turn generates positive media coverage.

Just before the crash Amy's father due to a technical defect at his aircraft still in a corn field, he is slightly injured and required by Amy, the last 30 miles alone to fly further. Amy reached with the geese the nature reserve shortly before the deadline.

The following summer, sweep, according superimposed text, all 16 geese independently to the farm of Alden's back.

Awards

1997 Caleb Deschanel was nominated for an Oscar for Best Cinematography in the category.

Background

Amy flies to U.S. law no microlight, but an " ultralight aircraft". This includes single-seat flying devices that may be flown without a pilot's license or a driving license in the U.S.. " Ultralight aircraft" may not drive faster than 55 kt (102 km / h) fly, must kt at 25 (46 km / h) still be able to fly, not more than 5 gallons ( 18.9 l) carry fuel and its empty weight is strictly limited to 254 lbs (115 kg) plus rescue system and swimmers. There is no minimum age for the pilot and no registration for the " ultralight aircraft". Since these are not considered explicitly aircraft, they may also start anywhere and land.

Publication

The film opened on 30 January 1997 in theaters and appeared on 12 August 1997 on video. On April 6, 1998, he appeared for the first time on DVD and on 9 April 2009 on Blu -ray.