Fly Away Home (1996)
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85% of critics liked it
(34 reviews) -
64% of users liked it
(58,018 ratings)
Inspired by a true story, Fly Away Home is a family drama about Amy Alden (Anna Paquin), a 13-year-old girl who, after the tragic death of her mother, is sent to live with her father Thomas (Jeff Daniels), a sculptor. Amy misses her mother and has never enjoyed a very warm relationship with her… More Inspired by a true story, Fly Away Home is a family drama about Amy Alden (Anna Paquin), a 13-year-old girl who, after the tragic death of her mother, is sent to live with her father Thomas (Jeff Daniels), a sculptor. Amy misses her mother and has never enjoyed a very warm relationship with her father, so the first few months in her new home are very difficult for her. However, one day Amy finds a nest full of eggs, which was tossed away by land developers clearing a wooded area. Amy brings the eggs home and builds a makeshift incubator; a few weeks later, a flock of tiny Canadian Geese are hatched. While caring for her new pets makes Amy happier, a problem soon presents itself -- young geese "imprint" on the first creature they see after hatching and follow it, as if it's their mother. Without a mother to show them how to fly south for the winter, how will they learn normal migratory patterns? Thomas comes up with a solution to the problem: as a hobby, he flies Ultralights, lightweight aircraft that look like gliders with engines. If he puts Amy in an Ultralight and has her fly the migratory route to the South, perhaps the birds will follow her and learn the route their mother would normally teach them. Amy's adventures help her learn about independence as she tries to teach it to the birds, bringing her closer to her father. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Carroll Ballard
- Written By
- Robert Rodat, Vince McKewin
- Genres
- Drama, Kids & Family
- In Theaters
- Sep 13, 1996 Wide
- Studio
- Columbia TriStar
Critic Reviews
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Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Thrilling, touching adventure for animal lovers.
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Rob Vaux, Flipside Movie Emporium
A lovely and unjustly forgotten family film.
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Alex Sandell, Juicy Cerebellum
Somehow makes the story of orphaned geese entertaining.
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James Rocchi, Netflix
Story of a girl and her geese is complex entertainment for kids and grown-ups.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Jeff Daniels
as Thomas Alden
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Anna Paquin
as Amy Alden
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Dana Delany
as Susan Barnes
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Terry Kinney
as David Alden
- Holter Graham
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Jeremy Ratchford
as Glen Seifert
