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My Life as a Zucchini
By Sandie Angulo Chen,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Animated drama about orphan is touching, unforgettable.
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My Life as a Zucchini
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Based on 18 parent reviews
Not for little kids but still a great movie.
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A beautiful portrait of a complicated time in many children's lives
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What's the Story?
MY LIFE AS A ZUCCHINI is a French-Swiss stop-motion animated film about a 9-year-old boy nicknamed Zucchini (voiced by Gaspard Schlatter in the original and Erick Abbate in the English-dubbed version) who ends up in a group foster home after his alcoholic mother dies suddenly in a home accident. Raymond (Michel Vuillermoz, Nick Offerman), the kind police officer who takes Zucchini to the home, stays in touch with the boy as he adjusts to the social hierarchy of the home. Simon (Paulin Jaccoud) is the worldly alpha kid with bullyish tendencies, but he's eventually won over. The rest of the crew -- Ahmed, Alice, Jujube, and Beatrice -- is sweet and unassuming, but they all have heartbreaking stories. The kids bond and form a routine -- and then a new orphan named Camille (Sixtine Murat, Ness Krell) arrives. Zucchini is instantly smitten with her, but her time in the home is threatened by a secretly cruel aunt, who threatens to take Camille away.
Is It Any Good?
Director Claude Barras' adaptation of Gilles Paris' novel isn't quite a coming-of-age story, but it's every bit as poignant. And the gorgeous animation and whip-smart dialogue make it a delightful pick for tweens and up. My Life as Zucchini can be heartbreaking, it but never loses sight of how resilient children are, even when they've seen the horrors of violence and abuse and abandonment. Despite their difficult backgrounds, Zucchini, Simon, and their housemates just want to be cared for and to belong -- and for the most part, they do. "They're all the same," Simon tells Zucchini -- whether it's because a parent was arrested, deported, died, or just left. These are kids who have no one to claim them as their own, at least at first.
Like some of Studio Ghibli or LAIKA's edgier offerings, My Life as Zucchini isn't meant for very young kids, and that's refreshing. Not all animated films need to cater to the early-elementary set, and this one is clearly best for kids who are mature enough to appreciate the characters' difficult circumstances (and of course, to deal with the hilarious conversation the boys have about "that thing between boys and girls"). This is a story that brings up so much, and it's all treated beautifully -- from the bully redeemed to the power of puppy love to the importance of friendship to the fact that families can be more than blood relations. If your family enjoys stop-motion animation and your kids are ready for big themes with a side of laughter and possibly tears, this is a must-see film.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the conversations about sex and violence in My Life As Zucchini. Do you think they're necessary to the story? Why or why not?
Are any characters in the movie role models? Which ones, and why? How do they learn and demonstrate empathy? Why is that an important character strength?
How is this story similar to and different from other stories about orphans or kids in group homes? Why is it memorable that the caretakers were actually caring?
Why do you think some of the kids weren't friendly toward the police officer who visits Zucchini? What does Zucchini mean when he says that cops are the reason some of the kids don't have parents?
Why do you think Simon treats Zucchini the way he does at first? Is he a bully? How does their relationship change, and why?
Movie Details
- In theaters: February 24, 2017
- On DVD or streaming: May 23, 2017
- Cast: Gaspard Schlatter , Sixtine Murat , Paulin Jaccoud , Elliot Page , Will Forte , Nick Offerman
- Director: Claude Barras
- Inclusion Information: Non-Binary actors, Queer actors
- Studio: GKIDS
- Genre: Drama
- Topics: Friendship
- Character Strengths: Empathy
- Run time: 70 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG-13
- MPAA explanation: thematic elements and suggestive material
- Award: Common Sense Selection
- Last updated: March 31, 2022
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