Is the movie Ferdinand appropriate for kids?

Movie Title:    Ferdinand

Grade:   B

Rating: PG, 1 hour 46 minutes

In a Nutshell: I lived in Spain for a couple of years in my 20's, so I was curious to see Blue Sky Studio and 20th Century Fox would represent that beautiful country I fell in love with.  I especially wanted to see how they would make what is normally a very brutal “sport” into a kid-friendly movie!  

I attended one bull fight in Spain.  Once was enough.  The truth is that bulls in the ring die a bloody, violent death.  Does that sound like a kid movie to you?

Honestly, I couldn't decide how I felt about this movie.  The animation is colorful and sweet, but the backdrop for the entire story seems almost inappropriate for kids.

Uplifting theme: 

• We all have different dreams.  Live yours.
• Control your fears.
• Flowers make the world a better place!
• Hate vs. love.
• Pets are family.

Things I liked:

• Beautiful animation scenery and landscapes.  Detailed animation brings richness to straw, dirt, water, chipped paint, and moisture on the bulls’ nostrils. 
• Based on The Story of Ferdinand , the original Disney short was first shown in 1938 and even won an Academy Award for Best Short! 
• I thought it was funny when Ferdinand accidentally breathed in a caterpillar and then snorted out a fully-grown butterfly.  Ha ha
• The film introduces kids to a few Spanish traditions which make the country unique and magical, such as flamenco dance, the flower festival (Feria de las flores), and white-washed streets lined with baskets of flowers.  I liked it when they showed the old-fashioned, classic windmills of Spain and then the modernized windmills to contrast the rich tradition with the new Spain.  It doesn't quite do for Spain what the movie Coco does for Mexico, but it was a nice start.
• Bull in a china shop.  It had to be done.
• John Cena does a great job as the voice of Ferdinand.
• The dance battle scene was pretty cute.
• I never knew there was such a thing as a “calming goat” used around bulls.  Kate McKinnon is a fantastic comedic actress, really bringing life to Lupe, the goofy goat.
• The Austrian horses may seem out of place in the movie, but the Lipizzaner show horses are actually really famous in Spain.
• Segways.  Man, I love those.  So much fun.
• It’s amazing that they could build an entire feature film around a very short story.
• Nick Jonas' song Home has been nominated for a Golden Globe. The Ferdinand (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is sweet enough.

Things I didn’t like:

• It’s not super funny with lots of quick laughs.  The audience I watched the movie with was pretty quiet and didn’t react much to what was happening on the screen.
• Some Spanish is spoken without subtitles, but nothing important is said that would make those lines crucial to the story.  They’re just added in to enhance the flavor of Spain.  The names of some of the characters are words in Spanish:  Guapo (Handsome) and Valiente (Brave).
•  The chase scene went from entertaining to completely ridiculous in about 2 seconds.
• Some movie critics complain that there are too many characters in this movie, but I didn’t mind.  
• Three great actors voiced the hedgehogs, yet I didn't even notice: Gina Rodriguez (I love her in Jane the VIRGIN), Gabriel Iglesias, and Daveed Diggs.  They don't get that many lines, and you pay more attention to their antics than to their voices.

Funny lines:

• “I’ve fallen and I can’t giddy-up!” – Austrian horse
• “I’m Una!  I’m Dos!  I’m Cuatro!” – Hedgehogs

“What happened to Tres?” – Ferdinand

“We do not speak of Tres.” - Hedgehogs

Interesting lines:

• “Why does not wanting to fight mean I’m scared?” – Ferdinand   (Great question!  It often takes greater courage NOT to fight!)
• “If we don’t look out for each other, who will?” – Ferdinand

                                                   

Tips for parents: 

• If your kids are sensitive to the horrors of killing animals for sport, this is not the movie for them.  There is also a disgusting “chop house” scene that might turn your kids into vegans.
• It’s a fairly long animation, and I noticed some of the younger children in the audience I sat with getting bored and fidgety.
• There is a scene where some characters sing and dance the “Macarena.”  Wow, young kids are definitely not going to know what that dance craze was.  That was a LONG time ago!
• Your kids are probably going to want a pet hedgehog now.  They may be shocked to learn that the adorable, little creatures don’t come in pink and blue.
• There is sort of a gay undertone in that bulls are supposed to be manly and macho, yet Ferdinand just wants to play with flowers.  In a trailer interview with wrestler-turned-actor John Cena, he explains that he can relate to Ferdinand and being judged, saying, “Don’t judge a bull by its cover.”  Always a good lesson for your kids to learn. 

@trinaboice