miyazaki's movies for younger children (totoro, ponyo, kiki's delivery service) have been huge favorites and my kids enjoyed this film as well. BUT it was startlingly violent--swarming armies, explosions, gunfire, people falling and almost falling to certain death...my kids both spent large parts of the movie biting their nails and cringing. the beautiful animation and lovely musical score were just not worth all the violence for our family.

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This was in the children's section of our local library and when I asked the librarian she said it would be fine for my kids. Boy was she wrong! There was way too much shooting and aggressive behavior like fist fighting. Things are blown up in fiery explosions. Not at all for younger kids.

The depicted conflicts are really the only thing in this film that would deter a parent from showing this to their children. But a lot of it is "action", some of it is done with great humor, and more importantly there are consequences. No, the bodies aren't shown... but when a robot is attacked (& killed) it is a surprisingly tender, touching moment. Compared to many other films, even Disney's Beauty and the Beast, the violence in here is less offensive, less frightening. So if your child has seen any Star Wars films, Indiana Jones, etc this is a very acceptable film and a great alternative to most "child action" films.