This comment might make you give up watching "Ulvesommer". This is not its intention: though many things might have been made better, it is still a movie you might watch, and even more let you children watch, and for sure it is not a must-to-avoid.
Having read some informations about it, I thought it will be Norwegean version of "Misa mi". But from the first scene it appeared to be binding more to "Klatretosen", Danish family-action movie. Later, however, wolves finally appear, so I thought "Ulvesommer" to be a medley - only "Misa mi" was released after Norwegean movie. Anyway, among these Northeuropean movies for kids, "Ulvesommer" looked the weakest for me.
In opening scenes we have a girl climbing, as well as in Klatretosen. Both girls are almost the same age, they both don't like cellular phones (Misa does, but spends summer in isolated region out of its signal range), both are not encouraged by their parents though both had fathers that were climbing in younger years; Kim's father (in Ulvesommer) even died after accident, and Ida's (in Klatretosen) has serious health problems as a consequence of his fall. Later, both girls risk their lives climbing extremely dangerous walls/rocks for generous purposes, one to save a family of wolves, the other to save her father's life.
The wolf side of a story has similarities with "Misa mi", but Swedish authors avoided obvious rip-off more successfully. Though both wolves are female with little puppies, and both save girls' lives, "Misa mi" is settled in different environment and culture, and in many scenes there is a touch of surreal never appearing in "Ulvesommer".
Also, supporting roles are completely different: though in both movies we meet people who fight wolves to save cattle, in "Misa mi" we see some balance (grandmother tells Misa that wolves have right to live, but people also have the same right and they must protect their food), while in "Ulvesommer" shepherds are more looking like obsessed hunters led only by enjoy of killing. None of hunters is Swedish movie is a born killer, while at least one of Norwgians is a real villain like ones that we meet in American movies. Compared to "Misa mi" this movie looks much more American, as one of (more and more frequent as years pass) European movies whose authors have American market in mind while shooting them.
Movies with wolves can't miss with photography and their directors knew how to get most of it, while "Klatretosen" has great camera work and brilliant use of light and color.
Julia Braathen didn't impress me half as Kim Jansson (Misa), not to mention great (but, yes, a bit older) Julia Zangenberg (Ida). Samuel Fröller was pale, but the script offered nothing (whole movie could have been made without him), and can't stand close to Per Nilja (from "Misa mi"), let alone to Stefan Andersen in "Klatretosen". Adult characters are again ranked (on my list) best in Danish movie. Line Verndal performs good, but there is again a scene so typical in modern movies (not actresses fault, of course): Cecilia hasn't taken much care for Kim so far, but finding that her daughter is in danger she, though horses always terrified her, not only jumps on one, but reaches Kim quicker than villains in the car.
And one more note. North Europe is obviously a different world. While most of parents usually try to delay drinking coffee for their kids, Kim is offered coffee by her trainer, Ida is offered by her father (and she drinks it), and Misa is offered by her grandmother (and we understand that it's normal for three years old to drink it when you live near North Pole).
Having read some informations about it, I thought it will be Norwegean version of "Misa mi". But from the first scene it appeared to be binding more to "Klatretosen", Danish family-action movie. Later, however, wolves finally appear, so I thought "Ulvesommer" to be a medley - only "Misa mi" was released after Norwegean movie. Anyway, among these Northeuropean movies for kids, "Ulvesommer" looked the weakest for me.
In opening scenes we have a girl climbing, as well as in Klatretosen. Both girls are almost the same age, they both don't like cellular phones (Misa does, but spends summer in isolated region out of its signal range), both are not encouraged by their parents though both had fathers that were climbing in younger years; Kim's father (in Ulvesommer) even died after accident, and Ida's (in Klatretosen) has serious health problems as a consequence of his fall. Later, both girls risk their lives climbing extremely dangerous walls/rocks for generous purposes, one to save a family of wolves, the other to save her father's life.
The wolf side of a story has similarities with "Misa mi", but Swedish authors avoided obvious rip-off more successfully. Though both wolves are female with little puppies, and both save girls' lives, "Misa mi" is settled in different environment and culture, and in many scenes there is a touch of surreal never appearing in "Ulvesommer".
Also, supporting roles are completely different: though in both movies we meet people who fight wolves to save cattle, in "Misa mi" we see some balance (grandmother tells Misa that wolves have right to live, but people also have the same right and they must protect their food), while in "Ulvesommer" shepherds are more looking like obsessed hunters led only by enjoy of killing. None of hunters is Swedish movie is a born killer, while at least one of Norwgians is a real villain like ones that we meet in American movies. Compared to "Misa mi" this movie looks much more American, as one of (more and more frequent as years pass) European movies whose authors have American market in mind while shooting them.
Movies with wolves can't miss with photography and their directors knew how to get most of it, while "Klatretosen" has great camera work and brilliant use of light and color.
Julia Braathen didn't impress me half as Kim Jansson (Misa), not to mention great (but, yes, a bit older) Julia Zangenberg (Ida). Samuel Fröller was pale, but the script offered nothing (whole movie could have been made without him), and can't stand close to Per Nilja (from "Misa mi"), let alone to Stefan Andersen in "Klatretosen". Adult characters are again ranked (on my list) best in Danish movie. Line Verndal performs good, but there is again a scene so typical in modern movies (not actresses fault, of course): Cecilia hasn't taken much care for Kim so far, but finding that her daughter is in danger she, though horses always terrified her, not only jumps on one, but reaches Kim quicker than villains in the car.
And one more note. North Europe is obviously a different world. While most of parents usually try to delay drinking coffee for their kids, Kim is offered coffee by her trainer, Ida is offered by her father (and she drinks it), and Misa is offered by her grandmother (and we understand that it's normal for three years old to drink it when you live near North Pole).