I'm usually critical of children's' films, but this one is quality through and through. It was filmed in New Zealand, (Which looks a lot like Scotland). The production was brilliant. The challenge for the crew was to create the feeling that the New Zealand fjord was a Scottish Loch, and they did a first class job with it. The cast was excellent. Alex Etel,the child lead, was very competent and shows a great deal of maturity in a difficult task. Apparently he did all his own swimming and stunts, so he must be a tough little actor. I hope we'll be seeing a lot of him in future films, The script was well paced and finely crafted. It balanced the emotional content with realism and humour. It's not easy to do. It avoided sentimentality and slap-stick comedy. (The dog was brilliant). If we want to fill seats in cinemas, we must educate our children to appreciate fine films. This is an excellent piece. It will become a children's' classic. Well done!