Mission Kathmandu: The Adventures of Nelly and Simon (French: Nelly et Simon: Mission Yéti, lit. 'Nelly and Simon: Mission Yeti'), also known as The Yeti Adventures[1] and A Yeti Adventure,[2] is a 2017 French-language Canadian 3D animated adventurecomedy film directed by Nancy Florence Savard and Pierre Greco, from a screenplay by Greco and André Morency [fr].[3][4] It was the third film produced by 10th Ave. Productions, a film studio which Savard founded. The film received a limited theatrical release in Quebec on 23 February 2018.[5]
Synopsis
Set in 1950s Quebec, the plot concerns Nelly Maloye, a rookie detective, and Simon Picard, a scientific researcher's assistant. After accidentally meeting one day, they both realise they believe in the yeti and decide to embark on an adventure aimed at proving its existence.[6]
Mission Kathmandu: The Adventures of Nelly and Simon was the third film produced by 10th Ave. Productions, a film studio which director Nancy Florence Savard founded. Production for the film began in May 2014, and involved more than 200 people. It was produced almost entirely in Quebec City.[7] At a budget of $8.5 million, the film received financial support from Telefilm Canada and Société de développement des entreprises culturelles.[5]
André Duchesne, writing for La Presse, stated that "the first 15 minutes of Nelly and Simon – Mission Yéti are the best. […] But when the team lands in Nepal to go to the Himalayas, the story deflates," adding "Thereafter, we chew the same jokes. Like those surrounding the lack of orientation of the two heroes or the endless daredevil slips."[8] Charles-Henri Ramond of Films du Québec gave the film 2.5 stars out of 5, stating, while recognising that the film had a low budget, "Cut for a very young audience, the story turns out to be very predictable and very light, which only very minimally exploits the folklore of the tales and legends surrounding this half-man half-ape beast [yeti]." Ramond praised the performance of Sylvie Moreau.[9]