Rollo and the Spirit of the Woods

2001 1h 32m FI

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 17

FantasyFamily

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Hairy and rowdy creatures called rolleys sail to a land inhabited by more peace-loving elves. When the rolleys arrive to the elf village, they scare the elves away and settle down in the village. One of the elves, Milli, a brave elf girl, returns to the village to make a peace with the rolleys. The rolleys do not warm to Milli's peace proposal, but she becomes friends with a rolley called Rölli. It becomes their mission to solve the conflict between the elves and the rolleys.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Allu Tuppurainen
Rölli
Maria Järvenhelmi
Milli Menninkäinen
Peter Franzén
Lakeija
Kari Hietalahti
Riitasointu
Jussi Lampi
Isorölli
Kalle Holmberg
Vaakamestari
Samuli Edelmann
Menninkäisten kylänvanhin
Jorma Tommila
Röllien kylänvanhin

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Olli Saarela
Writers: Ilkka Matila, Olli Saarela, Allu Tuppurainen
Languages: Finnish
Countries: Finland

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

25 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Rölli Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Olli Saarela, shot by Pini Hellstedt. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Tuomas Kantelinen. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jan-Olof Svarvar shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Allu Tuppurainen and Maria Järvenhelmi and Peter Franzén carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0249131 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Olli Saarela directs. Pini Hellstedt behind the camera. Tuomas Kantelinen scores. Jan-Olof Svarvar cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Finland. Dialogue in Finnish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
225 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Part of the "Rölli Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Olli Saarela, shot by Pini Hellstedt. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Tuomas Kantelinen. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Jan-Olof Svarvar shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Allu Tuppurainen and Maria Järvenhelmi and Peter Franzén carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0249131 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 17 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.