Pippi Longstocking: Pippi in the South Seas

Review

Common Sense Media says

Kitschy '70s Pippi is kid adventure-fantasy at its best.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this adorable yet very '70s kitschy Pippi Longstocking movie is a pirate adventure so expect plenty of cannon fire, sword fights, and high seas pirate antics. Pippi's father is held captive and she takes on a whole island of pirates, often fighting them singlehandedly then dancing a jig singing "I am Pippi Longstocking." She swims through sharks saying "who's afraid of sharks?" It's this optimism at every turn that keeps some of the more dangerous moments from being frightening. There's one tavern scene (with plenty of pirate drinking shown) where she effortlessly tosses two pirates out a window and hangs the bartender on the wall. Of course she does, it's Pippi.

  • Educational value1
    This movie is based on the books by Astrid Lindgren and might motivate kids to read her books. Kids might be inspired by Pippi's feats to think about what amazing things they can accomplish.
  • Positive messages4
    Believing in yourself and being brave to save loved ones are big themes here. There are dangerous adventures and there's always a strong sense of optimism that everything will always turn out well -- with singing and dancing to follow.
  • Positive role models4
    Yes, parents leave their kids with Pippi for three weeks and they take off without even leaving a note. And horrible table manners are on display. But Pippi's a force of nature whose optimism and self-confidence always save the day. Pippi doesn't have any formal schooling and can barely read, but is always using her smarts, building whole planes out of junk, and outsmarting pirates at every turn.
  • Violence & scariness3
    Pirates are at the center of the tale so there's lots of cannon fire, sword fighting (Pippi takes on the big pirates effortlessly), and some gunfire; Pippi brings a gun on the journey. Pippi's dad is held hostage. At one point two guns are pointed at his head and he's threatened with a knife. A boy is kicked in a tavern and Pippi throws the culprits out the windows and hangs the bartender on the wall. Pippi and friends are stranded on an island crawling with dangerous animals: lions, snakes, crocodiles. Pippi flies a plane through an active volcano with flames shooting everywhere. She also swims through sharks saying "who's afraid of sharks?" Pippi uses explosives to blast her father out of a dungeon. And one scene of tickle torture...
  • Sexy stuff1
    Tomnmy says to Annika about a tavern boy, "I think you love Marco." Pippi gives Marco a quick kiss. Annika takes off her shirt to wash it (she's about 10 years old).
  • Language1
    Something that sounds like "crap," but there's an accent. Pippi's dad is called all kinds of mostly silly names related to his weight like "overfed sea cow" and "chubby tub of butter."
  • Consumerism0
    Not applicable.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking2
    The kids say of pirates that they just "drink and drink" and see them in a bar doing just that and dancing wildly; a young boy serves them drinks. Pippi's father drinks wine on the pirate ship.
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What's the story?

Right after Annika and Tommy's parents leave them with Pippi for three weeks a message arrives in a bottle from Pippi's dad. He's being held captive by pirates and needs Pippi to save him! The trio doesn't hesitate to hop into Pippi's hot air balloon-bed and head south. After a few desert island strandings, the building of a plane, and the hijacking of a pirate ship they make it to the island. But it's crawling with pirates. They may be shaking in their boots that Pippi's coming, but they have their cannons ready. Can she save her papa? Of course she can.

Is it any good?

 

Sure, the dubbing is just awful and the effects are so very early '70s, but Pippi-loving kids won't care a bit. This Swedish Pippi is perfect. She dances and sings while she faces off against pirates and shrugs off any difficulties with her extreme confidence that everything will turn out great.

This is kid adventure fantasy at its very best. Expect hours of pretend play after the movie's over with basements turned into desert islands, big boxes and bike parts made into airplanes, and the cardboard scraps made into cutlasses. En garde!

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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about how they first discovered Pippi Longstocking. Was it through the books by Astrid Lindgren? Or through old movies like this one?

  • What are your impressions of Pippi? How is she different from other girl characters in movies? Is she a role model?

This review was written by Carrie R. Wheadon

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This review was written by Carrie R. Wheadon
Topics:magic and fantasy, adventures, book characters, great girl role models, music and sing-along
Studio:Henstooth Video
Director:Olle Hellborn
Cast:Inger Nilsson, Maria Persson, Par Sundberg
Genre:Family and Kids
Run time:96 minutes
DVD release date:October 4, 2005
MPAA rating:G
This review was written by Carrie R. Wheadon
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
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