Largely forgotten amid the many other fantasy adventures from around this time, this one is a gem. A slow start, and the antiquated attitudes of the explorers are cringeworthy, but it gets going! Donald Sinden's aristocratic Englishman leads a search party for his missing son, they travel by airship towards the Arctic circle and discover a hidden land beyond the ice.

For me - this was one of the best depictions of Norse people I've ever seen in cinema. From the get - go, no horned helmets or fake snow, these people spoke old Norse throughout the movie, correct clothes and appearance, and their villages and buildings were beautiful. Great to see normal life for Norse people, and not raiding and pillaging! The special effects get a little ropey towards the end but we can forgive that, and the aforementioned Sinden is on top eye rolling ham form.

A great Sunday afternoon movie!

My dad took me to see this one in the theater back in 1974 when I was 7 years old. It blew me away and helped fuel a lifelong love for adventure/fantasy. Hey, who doesn't like a cool adventure? The story is set in the early 1900's and concerns a rich Englishman who leads a rescue party deep into the Arctic in search of his missing explorer son. They track him to a mysterious lost colony of Vikings that has been cut off from the outside world for centuries. The plot is a fairly typical "Lost World" format: 1/3rd of the movie is spent searching for the lost world, 1/3rd is spent exploring the lost world, 1/3rd is spent being chased around/from the lost world. It's all fairly exciting, but not deep enough to impress an adult viewer. (However, with some deft tweaking this could be GREAT remake material for Disney.) I bought the DVD recently to take a trip down memory lane and I wasn't disappointed. It held up well to my memory. Yes, the effects are dated and some of them are downright terrible, but others are surprisingly good, and overall the film has a wonderful pre-CGI charm. You'll also get vibrant outdoor shots and some of the best matte work you'll find in ANY movie. It's not a bad choice for adventure/fantasy fans looking for family-friendly fare. Probably your only chance to see this film anymore is on DVD. Be sure to get the 30th anniversary edition as it has the extras.

This sci-fi adventure adapted from Jules Verne novel film deals with an expedition organized by a wealthy man (Donald Sinden) , an adventurer (David Tomlinson , unforgettable Lucas Tanner) and a genius inventor (Jacques Marin) . They along with an Eskimo (Mako) set out in search for his son on an ingenious blimp called Hiparion . But they suddenly encounter a lost civilization , a Viking kingdom . They are captured by the Vikings and are judged at a temple under the sculptures of Northern Gods : Thor and Odin . They're condemned to death penalty but achieving to flee. The movie displays exciting flying i scenes nvolving a spectacular Zeppelin over the skies of Arctic where we see different animals : Seals , oxes , White bears , Orcas , Reindeers and a Whales cemetery .

This fantasy picture gets action , adventures , derring-do , amusing images and breathtaking landscapes . Colorful atmosphere in this entertaining story in which with tension and adventure are maintained throughout. Splendid aerial cinematography showing marvellous outdoors . Abound matte painting , including enjoyable special effects by Disney specialist Peter Ellenshaw who is production designer too . Evocative and agreeable musical score by Maurice Jarre (Lawrence of Arabia, Bridge on the River Kwai). The motion picture was beautifully directed by Robert Stevenson , a Walt Disney's usual director (In search of the castaways : his fist attempt to recreate Verne novel , Gnome mobile , Herbie rises again , Mary Poppins). Mainly recommendable for all family and specially for children and adventure lovers .