January 1899 saw the worst storm at sea in living memory and the most astonishing lifeboat rescue attempt of the century

Juror comments: Wow! What a beautiful film. This is exactly the type of film that we love to feature at our KIDS FIRST! Film Festivals. Louisa, An Amazing Adventure is a stirring animated film by Ken Blakey that tells an amazing story based on the craziest storm at sea we can remember. This movie is an emotional rollercoaster filled with heartbreaking scenes and intense moments. It made me empathize with the characters on a really deep level and, knowing that the whole film is based on true events, made those feelings even stronger. The ocean screams and crashes throughout the film and the weather is really no joke. It snows unbelievably hard and the wind blows more than ever before.

The storyline is based on a true story about a lifeboat named Louisa, the coxswain of the lifeboat, and his daughter. On January 12, 1899, the boat launched from Lynmouth in Devon, England. The ocean and storm were much too rough though. The boat dragged as a result. Horses, the crew of the Louisa, and about 100 other people from the village took the boat across more than one thousand feet. It was extremely dark and they did this almost impossible task through the night without food. They went all the way to Porlock and then went out on their rescue mission.

First of all, the animation of this film, by Ken Blakely is simply superb! It is so realistic and has such interesting camera angles. I absolutely love it. The opening scene in itself is truly a work of art. The attention to detail is extraordinarily such as the close-ups that show intricate facial expressions. Celia Imrie, an award-winning actress, voices May Crocombe and truly brings the story to life with just her voice in a soothing and well-spoken way! Since the entire film is only narrated there aren’t any other voice actors in the film. However, there is some remarkable talent such as Toby Dunham who is the composer. The music stands out a lot because it helps tell the story and gives it an extra push – from the depths of darkness to moments of light. My favorite is at the end when good things started blooming again.

The messages of this film are to never give up, be willing to help someone out even if it could affect you, listen to your parents and have hope. It promotes love, sacrifice and treating everyone appropriately.

I give Louisa, An Amazing Adventure 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 18, plus adults. I think this would make an amazing addition to any KIDS FIRST! Film Festivals. Reviewed by Winter F., KIDS FIRST! Juror