Parents' Guide to The Inseparables

Violence & Scariness

Two thieves break into a theater at night and steal some puppets. Some peril and lots of action, which is elevated by the imagination of a main character who dreams of being a hero. They imagine they are fighting a monster, a sea creature, and a fire-breathing dragon. Minor worry when a stuffed toy dog who can't get wet because of their battery pack falls into water. Dangerous driving and a scooter chase through New York. A pitchfork pokes a person's bottom.

Language

Infrequent language includes one use each of "sucks," "butt," "fart," "stupid," and "sucker."

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Positive Role Models

Don is a puppet who is always given the role of the fool but wants a chance to play a hero. He transforms his world into an adventure land with his imagination. Inspired by Dee, a female character who wants to play something other than a damsel in distress, Don goes on a quest to prove he's a hero. In Central Park, he finds DJ Doggy Dog, a lost toy. Don encourages DJ Doggy Dog to use his imagination and find his voice and he starts to become a legend among the animals of Central Park. The pair show courage and perseverance in rescuing animals in danger. The puppets show perseverance as it's revealed they run the theater themselves after their owner becomes too old to do it. Through teamwork, the group work together to come up with ideas to minimize and face a scary situation. Teen thieves pickpocket an audience and break into the puppet theater at night and steal the puppets. Alfonso is an arrogant actor puppet who casts himself as the hero in each show but in real life isn't so brave.

Positive Messages

Perseverance, compassion, and teamwork are major themes. Encourage and inspire others to be more than what some people think and expect them to be. Imagination can be a powerful tool in helping people express themselves. Kids can start to think about and discuss stereotypes, and the negative connotations they can evoke.

Diverse Representations

The film addresses the damaging role stereotypes can play and how people can be so much more than what some people expect of them. For example, one character is tired of always playing the gendered role of a damsel in distress that needs to be rescued. Most of the voice cast are White men, but one of the main characters is played by Monica Young, a Korean-American woman.

Educational Value

The film is intended to entertain rather than educate, but the movie has two distinct animation styles, which is an early introduction to storytelling techniques. One is the imagination of a main character and the other shows the real world.