 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
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 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures
- Review Date: June 11, 2012
- NR
- Genre: Family and Kids
- 2012
Common Sense Media says
Ocean tale should amuse, educate young kids about sea life.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that A Turtle's Tale is a traditional animal adventure about a sea turtle who has to overcome countless obstacles to be reunited with his best friend and his dream mate. There are some elements of potential peril in which Sammy and his friends are separated or have to be rescued. Nothing is too upsetting, however, because we know Sammy lives to an old age (he narrates the story of his life). Children will learn a great deal about global warming, sea turtles, their habits, and their overall life cycles from hatchlings to grandparents.
What's the story?
An elderly sea turtle named Sammy tells the story of life from a wee little hatchling trying to escape predatory seagulls to a juvenile turtle (Yuri Lowenthal) who along with his best friend Ray (Anthony Anderson) attempt to survive the current and find a mate. Along the way, Sammy remains steadfast to finding Shelly, the female turtle who saved him as a baby. Despite several adventures that take him away from Ray, Sammy wants nothing more than to reunite with his friends. As he grows older, Sammy realizes that humans and pollution and global warming are all destructive forces that sea animals must face.
Is it any good?
A TURTLE'S TALE is a noticeable improvement to Ben Stassen's other historical drama Fly Me to the Moon. The story is considerably more accessible to kids, the characters are better developed, and the messages aren't as preachy. Kids familiar with Finding Nemo (and loved the segment with Crush the sea turtle and his family) will be particularly interested in a movie dedicated to the life of a sea turtle, one of the ocean's longest-living animals.
Part coming-of-age tale, part environmental lesson, the movie should teach children about the importance of ocean preservation and the life of sea turtles while also entertain them with silly characters (Ray is the classic goofball best friend) and a series of adventures that teach Sammy about being a responsible citizen of the sea as well as a good friend. It may not be Pixar, but it's a surprisingly educational pick for younger kids with a curiosity about the sea.
Explore, discuss, enjoy
Families can talk about the movie's environmental message concerning the sea. How does pollution affect the underwater animals? Are all humans portrayed as "bad for the sea," however?
How does the movie compare to other underwater adventures like Finding Nemo? What are some similar themes shared between the movies?
The movie chronicles several decades of Sammy's life. How are the different decades portrayed?
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Kid, 11 years old
August 13, 2012
AGE
7 year olds an under
If you're over the age of 7 and watch this film you'll think this is the worst fill ever. otherwise, your good.
What other families should know:
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Parent
August 19, 2012
AGE
Not for preschoolers.
I had hoped that this would be a nice family movie for my four year old, but I'm thankful we only watched half of it. It's not appropriate for a preschooler. Sammy is in danger or vulnerable to danger throughout the movies. This is unsettling for a four year old. Children can learn about turtles and dangers to them when they're older. It's not something they need to worry about now.
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Parent of 6 and 9 year old
October 17, 2012
AGE
A Turtle's Tale, aka "Finding Shelly"
Comparisons between A Turtle’s Tale and Finding Nemo are unavoidable and numerous – a sea creature searching the oceans for a missing loved one, meeting all walks (and swims) of life, encountering danger from both sea and man…yet there’s one area for comparison that is in A Turtle’s Tale’s favor: the animation, which is an underwater world that’s rich in colors, extremely fluid, and intricately detailed. Yet despite this deep, lush world of CGI animation, the themes and characters in A Turtle’s Tale are ironically two-dimensional. *** A Turtle’s Tale: Sammy’s Adventures is a simple story of one little turtle’s journey through life. Unfortunately, its simplicity is also its downfall. It’s sweet but not sensational, nice but not awesome, watchable but far from a classic. *** A Turtle’s Tale: Sammy’s Adventures is rated PG for mild peril. Baby turtles are in danger of being picked off by seagulls during their dash from the beach to the ocean; Sammy and Shelly face random perils via a bald eagle, the blades of a tanker, and various predator fish; and whalers attempt to spear a humpback whale. There’s also ongoing discussion of finding a perfect mate, but nothing inappropriate for grade-school kids. Maybe proceed with caution with preschoolers and younger. *** READ MY FULL REVIEW: filmfather (dot) blogspot (dot) com
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Parent
January 19, 2013
AGE
More for six-year-olds rather than four-year-olds.
There are a lot of "dangerous" (life and death) situations for poor Sammy the turtle, i.e. getting eaten by seagulls, getting eaten by sharks, getting caught by fisherman. This is enough to alarm our four-year-old son, who lives in a big city, to the point to make Sammy the turtle's adventurous journey, a little stressful. Why not make kids laugh rather than scare them? Few laughs and honestly as scary as "Finding Nemo" which has more laughs.
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Parent of 4 and 6 year old
March 23, 2013
AGE
Entertaining film, good message
I enjoyed watching Turtle Tale with my 5 and 7 year-old. Yes, it was a little scary, but as the review said, you can remind the kids that the Sammy is narrating the movie, so he lives. My older child is sensitive to scary films and she was ok with this one. There was little more mating talk than I would have liked, however. I thought the environmental message was very well done. It showed the impacts from the perspective of the turtle without being preachy. I used moments from the film to talk about the environmental issues it raised.
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| Topics: | friendship, ocean creatures |
| Studio: | Studio Canal |
| Director: | Ben Stassen |
| Cast: | Anthony Anderson, Melanie Griffith, Tim Curry |
| Genre: | Family and Kids |
| Run time: | 85 minutes |
| DVD release date: | April 3, 2012 |
| MPAA rating: | NR |
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