Mio in the Land of Faraway facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mio in the Land of Faraway
Swedish DVD cover featuring 1987 promotional artwork.
Directed by	Vladimir Grammatikov
Produced by	Ingemar Ejve
Written by	William Aldridge
Starring	Christopher Lee Christian Bale Nicholas Pickard Timothy Bottoms Susannah York
Music by	Benny Andersson Anders Eljas
Cinematography	Aleksandr Antipenko Kjell Vassdal
Editing by	Darek Hodor
Studio	Nordisk Tonefilm International Gorky Film Studio
Distributed by	Sandrew Metronome
Release date(s)	July 1987 (1987-07) (MIFF) 18 August 1987 (1987-08-18) (NIFF) 16 October 1987 (1987-10-16) (Sweden)
Running time	99 minutes
Country	Sweden Soviet Union Norway
Language	English
Budget	SEK 55,000,000 (est.)
Money made	Sweden: SEK 17,799,205

Mio in the Land of Faraway is an exciting fantasy film from 1987. It was directed by Vladimir Grammatikov. The movie stars famous actors like Christopher Lee and Christian Bale. It also features Nicholas Pickard, Timothy Bottoms, and Susannah York.

The film is based on a popular book called Mio, My Son. This book was written by the Swedish author Astrid Lindgren in 1954. The story is about a boy from Stockholm, Sweden. He goes on an amazing adventure to a magical land. There, he must free everyone from the rule of an evil knight.

Mio in the Land of Faraway was made by companies from Sweden, Norway, and the Soviet Union. It was quite expensive for its time. The movie had actors from many countries, including the United Kingdom, Russia, and Scandinavia. Filming took place in different places like Stockholm, Moscow, Crimea, and Scotland. The movie was first filmed in English. Later, it was dubbed into Swedish and Russian.

The special effects for the film were created by Derek Meddings. The main song, "Mio My Mio", was written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. They were both members of the famous band ABBA. The song was performed by a Swedish band called Gemini.

The film was released in 1987. It was the first movie for Nicholas Pickard. It was also one of the first big movies for Christian Bale. The film won an award in Amsterdam called the Cinekid Film Award. Its theme song became very popular in Sweden. However, some Swedish movie critics did not like the film much. They felt it was not as good as Astrid Lindgren's book.

Plot Summary: Mio's Adventure

The story starts in modern-day Stockholm. A young boy named Bosse (Nicholas Pickard) lives with his guardians, Aunt Edna (Gunilla Nyroos) and Uncle Sixten. They are not very kind to him. Bosse is also picked on by bullies. His best friend is Benke (Christian Bale). Bosse wishes he had a loving father like Benke does.

One night, Bosse runs away to find his own father. He meets a nice shopkeeper, Mrs. Lundin (Linn Stokke). She gives him a special apple and asks him to mail a postcard. The postcard is for the King of the Land of Faraway. It says Bosse is coming! After Bosse mails it, his apple turns golden.

A Magical Journey Begins

Shocked, Bosse drops the golden apple. He then finds a genie (Geoffrey Staines) trapped in a bottle and sets it free. It turns out the genie came from the Land of Faraway to find Bosse. The golden apple was a sign to show who Bosse was. The genie takes Bosse to the Land of Faraway.

Bosse lands on Green Meadow Island. There, he learns his real name is Mio. He also discovers that his father is the King (Timothy Bottoms)! Mio is finally treated with love and kindness. He gets a horse named Miramis as a gift from his father. Mio also makes new friends, including Jum-Jum (who looks just like Benke). Mio and Jum-Jum learn to play the pan flute from their friend Nonno.

The Threat of Knight Kato

But not everything is peaceful. Mio hears whispers from a magical well. He learns about a terrible knight named Kato (Christopher Lee) from the Land Outside. Kato has been kidnapping children. He turns their hearts to stone and makes them his servants. If children refuse, he turns them into birds. These birds are then forced to fly around his castle forever. Just saying Kato's name makes people scared.

Mio, Jum-Jum, and Miramis leave Green Meadow Island. They travel to the Forest of Mysteries. There, Mio's cape gets torn. They meet the kind Weaver Woman (Susannah York). She mends Mio's cape and sews a new lining into it. Mio hears the Bird of Grief crying for Kato's victims. He learns that the Weaver Woman's daughter, Millimani, is one of them. Mio slowly realizes he is the one who must face Kato.

Seeking a Weapon

Mio and Jum-Jum continue their journey to the Land Outside. They meet Eno (Igor Yasulovich), a hungry old man living in a cave. They share their food with him. Eno is grateful and tells them to find a special weapon. This weapon can be made by the Forger of Swords. But the Forger is a prisoner of Kato in the Blackest Mountain.

Soon, Kato's servants capture Miramis. Mio and Jum-Jum must continue on foot. They are chased through the Dead Forest and the Blackest Mountain. They get separated in the mountain tunnels. But they find each other by playing their pan-flutes. They finally reach the Forger of Swords (Sverre Anker Ousdal). He tells them about Kato's stone heart. He also gives Mio a special sword that can defeat Kato.

The Final Confrontation

Mio and Jum-Jum go to Kato's castle. They are captured and put in prison. Kato throws Mio's new sword into the lake outside the castle. But Mio discovers something amazing about his cape! If he wears it inside-out, it makes him invisible. He uses this power to get his sword back with help from Kato's birds.

Invisible and armed, Mio escapes. He makes his way to Kato's room, avoiding the guards. Mio takes off his cloak and challenges Kato to a fight. After a brave battle, Mio defeats Kato. The evil knight turns into rock and crumbles into pieces. Mio picks up Kato's stone heart. He holds it out a window, and it turns into a bird and flies away.

Kato's birds turn back into children. Jum-Jum and Miramis are freed. Kato's castle falls apart, and the Dead Forest begins to grow green again. Mio and the children return to Green Meadow Island. They are reunited with their families. Mio is finally with his loving father. The movie ends happily.

Meet the Cast

Soundtrack Highlights

The film's main song, "Mio My Mio", was released by the band Gemini in 1987. It was part of their album Geminism. The song became a big hit in Sweden, staying in the top ten music charts for five weeks!

In 1987 and 1988, CBS Records released the film's full soundtrack. It was available on both LP and CD. These albums included the popular "Mio My Mio" song and all the background music from the movie.

Here are some of the songs and music pieces from the soundtrack:

• "Mio Overture" (Anders Eljas)
• "Kite-Flying" (Anders Eljas)
• "Bosse Runs Away" (Anders Eljas)
• "The Journey To The Land Of Faraway" (Anders Eljas, Benny Andersson)
• "The Shepherd's Flute #1" (Benny Andersson)
• "Kato's Icy Wind" (Anders Eljas)
• "The Land Outside" (Anders Eljas)
• "Miramis Is Captured" (Anders Eljas)
• "The Hunt For Mio And Jum-Jum" (Anders Eljas)
• "The Sword" (Anders Eljas)
• "Inside Kato's Castle" (Anders Eljas)
• "The Final Battle" (Anders Eljas)
• "The Reunion" (Anders Eljas, Benny Andersson)
• "Mio My Mio" (Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus; performed by Gemini)