| 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. | |
| NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Parents need to know that this movie will appeal to young girls who are Polly Pocket fans, and that they're likely to lengthen their gift wish lists with toy tie-ins after seeing it. A new stepmom is portrayed as scheming against her stepdaughter and the stepdaughter's beloved babysitter behind her fiance's back. Shopping and spa treatments are portrayed as almost sacred pursuits. Reality show contestants compete to win money to donate to a charity of their choice.
This animated movie takes viewers on a colorful and mildly entertaining romp through PollyWorld, "the ultimate theme park shopping destination" with Polly Pocket (voiced by Tegan Moss) and her four friends. Team Pockets is competing in the reality show "Roll Like That" to win $10,000 to donate to charity. In the meantime Polly's father John (Michael Donovan) introduces Polly to her new stepmom-to-be, Lorelai (Kathleen Barr). Lorelai schemes with one of Polly's competitors, Beth (Tabitha St. Germain), to get Polly shipped off to boarding school and out of both of their lives. The DVD also includes three interactive games that keep up the superficial emphasis on fashion, as well as downloadable wallpapers and coloring pages.
The movie emphasizes the value of friendship; when the competition gets tough, Team Pockets keeps its perspective and puts an emphasis on having fun and supporting each other over winning. And there's an honest discussion of Polly's mixed feelings about her father's remarriage. Polly decides, at some personal sacrifice, that her father's apparent happiness is more important than her own worries.
However, fashion and shopping are almost as important as friendship and familial support here. There are three epic shopping excursions and a spa visit (with the promise of a second). The most interesting sets are available as retail toys, and kids may recognize the catchy pop songs as Polly Pocket-toy sound effects. The animation is lovely and candy-colored, with appealing scene transitions. The games are easy to play for younger kids but would probably not appeal to girls older than 8 or boys of any age.
Families can talk about how Polly and her friends worked well together as a team. How did their ability to cooperate help them get ahead in the competition? What examples of good and bad sportsmanship did you see? If you could donate money to a charity of your choice, what would it be and why? Are there ways you could help that charity now?
| Studio: | Universal Studios Home Entertainment |
| Director: | Bill Moore |
| Cast: | Chiara Zanni, Nicole Bouma, Tegan Moss |
| Genre: | Family and Kids |
| Run time: | 68 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | November 14, 2006 |
| DVD release date: | November 14, 2006 |
| MPAA rating: | NR |
| MPAA explanation: | not rated |