Bigfoot Family

Parents say
Based on 8 reviews
Kids say
Based on 10 reviews
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Bigfoot Family
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Bigfoot Family, the European-produced follow-up to Son of Bigfoot, aims to send a message about protecting wildlife and natural habitats from damaging activities like deep oil drilling, but it also has lots of animated violence. Bigfoot (voiced by Alexis Victor) wants to use his newfound fame to make a difference in the world, and he lands on the environmental cause. The oil company's chief is a lying, stereotypically portrayed imposter who doesn't care at all about the environment -- or human or animal life. Bigfoot's teen son, Adam (Pappy Faulkner), just wants his dad around more, but when Bigfoot goes missing, he and his mom put their lives at risk to find him and bring him home. They face everything from guards shooting tranquilizer darts to situations involving crashing, falling, rushing down raging rapids, flying over waterfalls, confronting wild animals, killer drones, ticking bombs, and more. When Adam thinks he might die, he records a good-bye message for his parents and his high school crush (they share a single kiss at the end). Language, including bathroom references, includes "damn," "jeez," "suckers," "stupid," "shut up," "knucklehead," "psychopath," "insane," and "fool." A man suggests that it would be "weird" to offer to accompany another man going pee in the woods at night; another man seems put off by his male partner clinging to him following a motor crash. Stereotypical depictions of both Americans and Canadians.
Community Reviews
Bigfoot's talents would be better used elsewhere
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Typical plot for kids to hate capitalism
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What's the Story?
Dr. Jim Harrison, aka Bigfoot (voiced by Alexis Victor), has gone public with his true identity in BIGFOOT FAMILY after being saved from the clutches of a pharmaceutical company that wanted his DNA. Bigfoot's new fame is resulting in lucrative sponsorship offers, but it's also complicating the life of his shy teen son, Adam (Pappy Faulkner), who has some of the same magical powers as his dad (but fortunately less hair). When Bigfoot eschews profits in order to make a difference in the world, he takes up the offer to join two activists who wrote to him about their protest against a company drilling for oil in the pristine Alaskan wilderness. Bigfoot aims to help publicize their cause, but he quickly goes missing after arriving in Alaska. Adam and his mom take to the road to search for Bigfoot, putting their own lives in danger.
Is It Any Good?
This animated film starts off strong, but soon loses its way a bit. After a cute set-up with charming characters, attractive environmental messages, a stirring soundtrack, and a unique setting, this film nearly throws it all away in the second half as it devolves into 40 minutes of needless action. This change in tone accompanies the shift in focus from the "good guys" of the Bigfoot Family to the "bad guys" working for the oil company, and it comes with painfully awkward, gratuitous lines like the "hired gun" who says he once used a bomb "to blow up my old foster home when I was a kid." He and a bunch of security guards are put in charge of trying to kill Bigfoot and his family, including the teenage son, who they try to shoot with tranquilizer darts, drive off a cliff, shove down a mining shaft, and attack with killer drones. For a children's film, having characters show such callousness in attempting to kill a child, even an animated one, is neither funny nor fun.
The highlights of the film are the Bigfoot family characters and the animals. The humorous rapport between the well-meaning pet bear and the boastful raccoon provides some laughs, and the wild animals -- the lone wolf who knows his place in the wild, the perpetually-pursued snow bunny, and the aggressive moose with the "get off my land" message -- bring purpose and a certain depth to the story. They embody the film's environmental messages. Kids won't likely miss the "big oil is bad" moral, but they could take away a confused message from toss-away lines about "journalistic integrity" and "fake news." The film's European makers also seemed to want to poke a little fun by comparing pleasant Canadian border guards to their hostile, militaristic American counterparts. Meanwhile, Bigfoot's rushing to a protest site to do something good with his newfound fame is meant to be admirable, and the cause that draws him turns out to be worthwhile. But his ignorance about the actual situation there, his lack of preparation or research before landing -- apparent in his first selfies and videos (that go "viral" thanks to some fast editing by his teenage son) -- could also send the wrong message about prioritizing clicks over cause.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the premise of a company getting away with advertising an environmentally-friendly message but actually doing damage to nature, as with "X-Trakt" in Bigfoot Family. Do you think this can or does really happen? Do you know of any examples?
Adam helps his dad's video go viral. Is it that easy to get likes, clicks, and shares online? What are the downsides to putting out a video publicly like that?
Bigfoot turns down lucrative product sponsorships in order to "make a difference." What would you have done in Bigfoot's position? Why?
Do you believe Bigfoot really exists? Why or why not? Where could you go for more information?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: February 26, 2021
- Cast: Kylian Trouillard, Alexis Victor, Marie Chevalot
- Directors: Jeremy Degruson, Ben Stassen
- Studio: Netflix
- Genre: Family and Kids
- Topics: Activism, High School, Science and Nature, Wild Animals
- Run time: 88 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: February 28, 2022
Our Editors Recommend
For kids who love animated tales
Themes & Topics
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