The Last Flight of Noah's Ark facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Last Flight of Noah's Ark
film poster by Dan Goozee
Directed by	Charles Jarrott
Produced by	Ron Miller Jan Williams
Written by	Steven W. Carabatsos Sandy Glass George Arthur Bloom
Starring	Elliott Gould Geneviève Bujold Ricky Schroder
Music by	Maurice Jarre
Cinematography	Charles F. Wheeler
Editing by	Gordon D. Brenner
Studio	Walt Disney Productions
Distributed by	Buena Vista Distribution
Release date(s)	July 9, 1980 (1980-07-09) (Los Angeles)
Running time	97 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$6-8 million
Money made	$11 million

The Last Flight of Noah's Ark is an exciting family adventure film from 1980. It was made by Walt Disney Productions. The movie stars Elliott Gould, Geneviève Bujold, and Ricky Schroder. It came out on July 9, 1980. A real Boeing B-29 Superfortress airplane was used in the film. It was called the "ark" in the movie.

Story of the Film

The movie is about a pilot named Noah Dugan (Elliott Gould). He has no job and needs money. Noah visits an old friend, Stoney (Vincent Gardenia), who owns an airfield. Stoney offers Noah a job. He needs to fly a plane full of animals to a far-off island in the South Pacific. The plane is a very old Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber.

A kind missionary named Bernadette Lafleur (Geneviève Bujold) goes with him. Bernadette raised the animals at an orphanage. She is very close to two orphans, Bobby (Ricky Schroder) and Julie (Tammy Lauren).

As the plane gets ready to take off, Bobby worries about how Noah treats the animals. He decides to hide on the plane. He wants to make sure his animal friends are safe. Julie follows Bobby onto the plane. During the flight, the plane goes off course. Noah has to crash-land on an island that is not on any map. Bobby spotted the island with his sharp eyes.

While on the island, the group meets two old Japanese soldiers. They have lived there alone for 35 years. Noah first sees them as enemies. The soldiers do not know that World War II ended a long time ago. But Bernadette becomes their friend. They can talk to each other because one soldier's mother lived in America. She taught her son English and even named him "Cleveland."

The soldiers tell Noah and Bernadette that no one will rescue them if they stay. The soldiers have been there for decades with no one coming for them. They suggest a plan. They want to turn the old airplane into a boat. This way, they can sail back to civilization. They need to flip the B-29 upside down. This will make it more stable and waterproof.

Bernadette needs to make a sail for the boat. The soldiers give her their Japanese Empire battle flag. She uses it as the main fabric for the sail. She tells the soldiers she will sew it at the top. This shows her respect for them.

Noah and Bernadette, who Noah calls "Bernie," start to like each other. At first, they did not get along. Bernie paints the name "Noah's Ark" on the plane-boat. Noah tells her he does not like his first name. But as she starts to remove the paint, he says it is okay. The animals are also brought onto the boat. Bobby insisted on it.

Bernadette always keeps a Bible close by. After many days at sea, she tells Noah about the story of Noah's ark. In the story, a dove was sent to find a sign of hope. So, they decide to send their duck with a message. The message asks for rescue. The duck flies west, away from Hawaii. Hope starts to fade.

Bobby was not happy with Noah at first. This was because Noah did not treat the animals well. But they become good friends. This happens especially after Noah saves Bobby's life. Bobby falls overboard while they are fishing. A big shark is swimming nearby.

Finally, a United States Coast Guard cutter rescues them. The cutter has the duck aboard! The "Ark" is then pulled to Oahu.

Main Actors

Images for kids

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  The front part of the Fertile Myrtle plane, now on display at Fantasy of Flight in Florida.

See also

In Spanish: El último vuelo del Arca de Noé para niños