Worth getting through the scary beginning to get to the good stuff
The beginning scene was a little scary for my almost 4 year old, but once we made it through the beginning, he really loved it, and I really loved the chance to a chance to talk about the importance of nature with him. There are references that are outdated that may confuse older children-- like a walkman and "acid rain."
My 4 year old was terrified during some of the scary parts. There is a scene where the fairy is shown nearly entering the blades of a sawmill. I had to turn this off. I felt really bad subjecting him to this movie.
Scary for younger children & doesn't make it's point!
The first half of the movie seemed to emphasize that humans are bad. While there were several "hints" that the rainforest was being cut down, that was never clear. It would have been much better had the writers stated clearly that the rainforests were being cut down and what we can do about it (recycle paper and cardboard, use hand dryers instead of paper towels, etc.). Kids miss the point and are left feeling helpless. Additionally, the evil spirit was too scary and could have been left out all together!
My 6-year-old son loved this movie, even when he was 4. The villain is indeed quite creepy, but making oil the villain was quite imaginative (good discussion topic). One message was clear as crystal to me and my son--the rain forests are being cut for human convenience and use, without a care for the forest or its inhabitants. The rest of the message was clear as well, a group of different "people" can work together to stop the damage; and a previously uncaring young man learns that he can be a key to change when he returns to his normal size. The bat character grinds in the message that humans can be heartless and evil, but I don't think my son made the connection with lab testing. If you talk with your kids as or after they see this movie, you can help them understand the issues. This is a great movie that will stimulate a lot of discussion--don't let your kids watch movies in a vacuum.
Yea...
i watched this movie when i was young :3
i loved batty and all the charachters it was so amazing that i just found out for several years ive been searching my highlights of my child hood and i seriously loved this film
im 18 and i still watched this :D
This is a very good and very well-animated film with some descent musical numbers and some funny moments. The story is also very good. It can get silly at times but, hey, it's a family film. Here is my biggest gripe: This film doesn't do a good job emphasizing its message. It hints at the destruction of the rain forest but never really makes it clear but what's more is that it doesn't tell us how we can save the rainforest. Everything is solved with magic. The humans do nothing about it and that gets to me.
Suggested MPAA Rating:
PG for sensuality, violence, and scary scenes.
Now that I think about this movie... this movie is freakin' creepy! just plain WEIRD!
I watched this movie when I was about 7 or 8 and it scarred me for life. The song that Batty sings disturbed me. The subject of animal testing should never be in a children's movie. It was very scary. It depressed me very much. Don't let your child watch this!
The "bad guy" is in the form of a shape shifting ghost that appears as a really scary skeleton several times. This movie had some really scary parts and my extremely brave 6 year old was terrified. I felt awful for showing it to my kids!