Level: preschools

Pelikaanimies

Emil is a young boy who moves from the countryside to the city with his mother. At the same time, elsewhere, a pelican lands on a beach. It finds clothes and puts them on, thus beginning its life as a human. Right away, it hitches a ride to the city. It moves into the house next to Emil’s, unaware that the caretaker is allergic to birds… As Emil adjusts to his new life in the city, the pelican takes its first steps in life as a human. Being a big lover of music, the pelican lands a job at the Opera House. There, it falls in love with a lovely ballerina. One day, Emil meets the pelican and immediately notices that it’s a bird in human clothes. Emil and the pelican get to know each other and become best friends. The pelican’s origin is their shared big secret. Then, a pretty girl Elsa, Emil’s age, appears in the yard. At first, Emil is jealous of the pelican, but then Emil and Elsa become friends too. Emil teaches the pelican to read, thus the pelican learns more and more about being human. But just when they’re having the most fun, the caretaker starts to suspect that something’s going on. Are the new tenant’s habits too strange after all?

Director:
Liisa Helminen

Starring:
Kari Ketonen
Roni Haarakangas
Inka Nuorgam
Jonna Järnefelt

The movie won two Jussi Awards:
Best Production Design: Jussi Halonen, Samuli Halla, and Petri Neuvonen
Best Sound Design: Paul Jyrälä

Ella ja kaverit

Second grader Ella’s small village school is threatened with closure and demolition. The students are being transferred to a large and dreary new school. Behind the closure of the village school is Mr. One, who wants to build a race track in its place. With the support of her teacher, Ella and her friends come up with a way to save their own school.

Director:
Taneli Mustonen

Starring:
Eero Milonoff
Kari Ketonen
Armi Toivanen
Ville Myllyrinne

Emperor’s Secret

“The Emperor’s Secret,” completed in 2006, is Finland’s first full-length computer-animated film set in a fantasy world. Although the movie features caricatures of politicians from the “Itsevaltiaat” TV series, it is not directly related to the series’ plot. The story revolves around a small village’s battle against an evil emperor.

The film was directed by Riina Hyytiä, and among its voice actors are Mika-Ala Panula, Anna Bentley, and Jukka Puotila. There are many characters, with several recognizable as Finnish politicians. “The Emperor’s Secret” was produced by Helsinki Film and Anima Vitae Oy.

Urpo & Turpo – Johtolangan jäljillä

Two curious toy bears, named Urpo and Turpo, reside on the bookshelf in the children’s room and greatly enjoy reading. They blend everyday life and fairy tales, creating amusing adventures. For instance, they find themselves on a deserted island and are saved by a breadfruit tree, bravely improve others’ appearances, search for clues, break rules, long for silence, and compete to be the best and strongest in the world.

Similarly to the toys in Toy Story, Urpo and Turpo come to life when the family isn’t watching. The Urpo & Turpo movie provides entertainment for both adults and the youngest members of the family. The film is easy to follow as it features good Finnish. It is based on Hannele Huovi’s popular storybooks and is now even more vibrant and lively on the big screen as it has been restored.

Ella ja kaverit 2: Paterock

Ella, a second-grader, and her classmates’ teacher insist that Pate, who dreams of a rock star career, must also learn multiplication tables. The friends come up with the idea that if Pete were a rock star, he wouldn’t need to know anything, as the manager would take care of everything. They form a band, and their goal is to perform at the mega concert of the singing star Elviira.

These characters are based on the book series “Ella ja Paterock” (Ella and Paterock).

Risto Räppääjä ja Sevillan saituri

Ricky Rapper is in for an astonishing surprise! He learns that he’s the future heir to a distant relative’s fortune. The miserly man residing in Seville has amassed a colossal wealth with grand castles, and soon all of it would belong to Ricky. Consequently, the rambunctious Ricky needs to be groomed into a sophisticated young gentleman whose behavior would befit even the court, but that’s not quite easy. However, Nelli starts to suspect that things aren’t quite as they seem and decides to take action. The grand, mysterious house where Ricky goes to meet his relative is filled with hair-raising secrets and peculiar servants. This delightful adventure pulls Aunt Peace, Elvi, and Lennart into thrilling twists and turns.

Kahdet kasvot

Kahdet kasvot (transl. Two Faces) is a short animated film. It tells the story of the immutability of human nature and the legacy of revenge that passes from one generation to another.

The story begins in the Stone Age and progresses to modern times, narrating the cruelty of humans and their inability to break free from the burdens of their past.

Director and Screenplay: Arto Halonen (Source: Art Films production)

Risto Räppääjä ja Liukas Lennart

The highly popular ten-year-old, red-haired Risto Räppääjä and his friend Nelli Nuudelipää dive into new adventures. Aunt Rauha thinks she has a brilliant idea: they need to find a man who would be a suitable father figure for Risto. Risto is not excited about the idea at all, and neither is their neighbor Lennart, who is himself interested in Rauha. Therefore, Lennart tries to create the perfect man who would meet Rauha’s constantly changing expectations of what a decent man should be.

Lennart soon realizes that trying to be many different people at once is not easy. When even Aunt Elvi falls for one of the father figures created by Lennart, things hilariously get tangled up. Unforgettable summer is full of incredible twists and lively misunderstandings.”

The Peanuts Movie

The Peanuts Movie follows the adventures of familiar characters like Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy van Pelt, and the rest of the Peanuts gang. The story focuses on Charlie Brown’s attempts to win the heart of a new girl, the Little Red-Haired Girl.

The film chronicles Charlie Brown’s adventures and mishaps at school, at home, and with his friends. Meanwhile, Snoopy, his loyal dog, embarks on adventures in his imaginative world.

The movie is filled with humor, warmth, and lessons about the importance of friendship, courage, and self-acceptance in life. It retains the spirit of the original comic strip and takes viewers on a nostalgic journey into the Peanuts universe.

Elemental

Disney and Pixar’s new animated film, Elemental, tells the story of Element City, where different elements such as fire, water, earth, and air take on human-like forms and coexist. The main character is Ember, a brave and intelligent young woman who befriends Wade, a water spirit who is fun-loving and a bit goofy. Ember and Wade’s friendship changes Vellu’s perception of the world.