Parents' Guide to Epic Tails

Violence & Scariness

Some threat and mythical monsters but nothing too scary. A kraken grabs a ship, but it's revealed to be a baby kraken who sneezes slimy boogers over the ship. A big robot throws rocks at a ship. A rat threatens a cat with a piece of broken glass, held like a dagger. Big green cyclopses put people into a bag and talk about eating them. A heavy cog drops on a dragon's head but it's fine. Giant scorpions bash cyclopes with their tails but apologize with each hit. A cyclops tries to smash a ship apart. Scenes involving vomiting characters.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

A cyclops' bottom is exposed when a character pulls down its pants.

Language

Some insults such as "nerd," "nerdo," and "pipsqueak." Occassional icky humor.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Positive Messages

Problems are solved with bravery, teamwork, and intelligence. Characters persevere even when they are dismissed by others or face huge odds. Characters encourage each other to carry on. They share their feelings in an open and honest way; characters apologize for mistakes and forgive each other. Expectations and assumptions about characters based on their species are often proved wrong.

Positive Role Models

Pattie is a mouse who works as an accountant in Ancient Greece but wants to have adventures like her hero, Jason. She believes in herself, and when her city is threatened, she organizes a crew and leads them across the sea to try to save everyone from destruction. She uses her knowledge and bravery to solve problems. She gets upset with Sam, a cat who adopted her but lied to try to keep her from leaving. Sam is a vegetarian cat who likes theater and poetry. He worries about Pattie's safety and risks his life to help her. The Greek god Poseidon is jealous of a statue dedicated to his brother, Zeus, so gives the town seven days to build a statue of him or he'll destroy the city. Chickos is a seagull who loves adventure and surprise. He helps and encourages Pattie on her adventure. Jason is the adventurer from the Golden Fleece myth but now very elderly. He inspires the city folk to work but often falls asleep. Gods have fun playing with humans for their entertainment. Zeus helps them when his wife Hera gets cross with him.

Educational Value

Kids can learn about Ancient Greek mythology, the story of Jason and the Argonauts, as well as the names of gods. They can also learn the flawed personality traits of the gods, which differ from some deities who are said to be perfect. Characters use intelligence and knowledge of myths to solve problems, which might inspire kids to learn more of the Ancient Greek stories.

Diverse Representations

Expectations and assumptions based on species are often proved wrong. A seagull has a hook for a wing, a wooden leg, and a false eye. A friend builds him a wing, which lets him fly again. The Greek hero Jason and the reanimated skeletons of his Argo crew are all older people. They often fall asleep, while some use walkers and one uses a wheelchair. But they all have a useful purpose in the story, and characters are accepting of their need to sleep and physical difficulties. The city of Yolcos is shown to be diverse, although most speaking characters are depicted as White. Three mice have Italian American accents and behave like members of the mafia in a riff on The Godfather. The movie uses different voice actors for different regions.