Penguin Highway

Some fairly intense moments. In one scene, Aoyama falsely tells another character that he has a disease that will kill him if he doesn't get his teeth painfully pulled. Viewers see a dental tool looming threateningly, fungus growing on teeth, then casket at funeral, with young mourners crying. In running gag, boys win fights by grabbing foes' testicles. Alligator-like monsters eat penguins in brief scenes; in another scene, a penguin is hit by a car (he bounces off, unhurt). A young girl cries as she realizes her mom will someday die. A bully menaces smaller kids by swinging them around by the arms, pushing them, punching them; he ties a character to a vending machine and pees on some important papers.

Aoyama is confident that, in future, "lots of girls will want to marry me," but he "already has someone in mind." Several shots focus on a woman's breasts (covered by clothing), and she says "you're looking at my boobs" to Aoyama. He also talks at length about breasts and how he thinks about them when he's upset and they make him feel calm. Bullies steal a boy's swimming suit in a pool; brief glimpse of his nude backside. A boy is instructed that picking on a girl is an "illogical" way to show he likes her.

No cursing, but insults include "little kids," "baby," "silly brat," "liar." Characters also say "darn it" and "it sucks," and the word "boobs" is said many times.

Parents need to know that Penguin Highway is a lovely, magical anime movie about mysterious penguin-related happenings in a quiet Japanese town. It's subtitled in English and voiced in Japanese; a dubbed version is also available. Some scenes have scary imagery, such as when a boy is told he has a dental disease that will cause him to get his teeth painfully pulled out in the short run -- and may kill him in the long run. Viewers see a close-up of a mouth with threatening dental tools, fungus growing on teeth, and a casket with young children crying around it. In another scene, a little girl learns her mother will die someday and cries before being comforted. In a running gag, boys win fights by grabbing their foes' testicles. A penguin is hit by a car (but bounces off unhurt). A bully menaces younger kids by pushing and hitting; in one scene, the bully also pees on important papers. A boy is preoccupied with a woman's breasts; he stares at them, calls them "boobs," and talks about their size (the woman in question seems to find this amusing). There's a brief glimpse of a bare backside when a character's swimsuit is snatched away by bullies. A boy likes a girl and picks on her; he's told this is an illogical way to show his affection. The same boy is mocked for crying, which is suggested to be immature and unmasculine. There's no drinking, drugs, smoking, or cursing, but characters do insult each other: "baby," "silly brat," "liar." Characters also say "darn it" and "it sucks." But strong themes of curiosity and teamwork run through the movie, and female characters are given agency and personality. A young boy works hard at his studies and his character; he often evaluates his own behavior and resolves to do a better job next time.

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