Fast-paced movie based on TV series has cartoon violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 7+?
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Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
some
Girls skateboard and seek out adventure, including at an "extreme" skatepark where they expect to get scraped up and one feature is called the spleen-splitter. Other cartoon peril involving the Casagrandes family includes crashes, falls, earthquakes, and being chased by scary creatures. A demi-god of legend wants to become a god, but in doing so against her parents' wishes, she summons up a powerful creature from the underworld who threatens her entire village as well as her and her parents' lives. The creature is enormous and attacks everyone. His face appears to melt and a skeleton disintegrates.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
A bird jokes with another bird couple that they've been "busy" when they introduce their many bird children. They clarify the young birds were all adopted.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.
The Casagrandes family is Mexican American, and they celebrate their heritage with customs, traditions, and other connections to their roots in Michoacán. In the movie, characters speak English peppered with Spanish and some Purépecha (an indigenous language from northern Mexico, where ancient traditions -- including a matriarchal society -- are discussed). Their village in Mexico is postcard-perfect, with colorful buildings and plazas, and an extensive family-owned hacienda.
Tweens are capable of more than their parents want to give them credit for, but they also still need limits, care, and protection. Girls can do anything boys can do. Families benefit from maintaining heritage, traditions, and connections to their roots.
Positive Role Models
some
Both Ronnie Anne and Punguari are smart, bold, and confident tween girls looking for more independence and action than their parents are comfortable with. In Punguari's case, her parents know best and sacrifice themselves to save her. Ronnie Anne's mom also tries to protect her daughter, even at risk to herself. Grandmothers recall similar situations when their daughters were young.
Educational Value
a little
Kids can learn from the traditions and legends mentioned in the storyline, and they can talk about what traditions their own families celebrate or beliefs they hold. They can appreciate a bilingual family reconnecting with their heritage. They can talk about the differences between a series and a film.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that the TV series spin-off The Casagrandes Movie follows the Mexican American Casagrandes family as they travel to Mexico to visit family and celebrate ancient traditions. Two intersecting storylines involve confident tween girls pushing for more independence in ways that put themselves and their parents in harm's way. Despite perilous situations -- falls, crashes, earthquakes, fiery creatures on the attack, and kids and beloved family members in jeopardy -- the characters all emerge just fine (except the villains, who melt and disintegrate). Characters mix English words with some in Spanish and Purépecha (an Indigenous language from northern Mexico); expect to hear variations on "butt" and "poop," as well as "heck," "jeez," and "jerk." Messages include the idea that, in generation after generation, moms must learn to let their daughters grow up, within proper limits, when they show they're ready. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
The "Summer of 12" lands pleasantly with stellar Indigenous representation
This film has more charm than the TV series and ultimately I found it more enjoyable. The voice characters have great representation from their respective groups and the heart of the story...making space for a young person to practice their autonomy, communication between family members and the complexity of being a young person that has adult impulses but teenager reasoning. The film excels in its Indigenous representations and it is a joy to see a multigenerational family work together.
What's the Story?
In THE CASAGRANDES MOVIE, Ronnie Anne (voiced by Izabella Alvarez) has just turned 12 and is looking forward to celebrating her "Summer of 12" at the local over-12-only extreme skatepark with best friend Sid (Leah Mei Gold). Instead, her mom (Sumalee Montano) surprises the family with a trip to visit family in Mexico. What's intended as a family vacation timed with a local fire celebration turns into a real adventure when Ronnie Anne accidentally unleashes a frozen tween demigod, Punguari (Paulina Chávez), whose own actions long ago left her parents frozen and unleashed a dangerous creature from the underworld. Now it will be up to Ronnie Anne and Punguari to save them all.
Funny and fast-paced, this film is aimed at young viewers and should please fans of the series. The positive portrayals in The Casagrandes Movie are welcome. In this day of bitter public anti-immigrant sentiment directed at the US/Mexico border (which is sketched in a drawing showing only a line on the otherwise indistinguishable land as the Casagrandes family drives south), it's powerful to celebrate a proud Mexican American family on screen, especially through child-friendly animation. The film shows the close-knit and loving family experiencing a natural connection to their roots in Michoacán. Its bold and brassy tween female leads and their moms and abuelas forge a supportive, matriarchal network. If parents can sit through the cartoon violence, they might enjoy some of these messages and the sillier asides as well.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the legend of the gods and demigods and the tradition of the New Fire celebration seen in The Casagrandes Movie. Does your family celebrate any cultural traditions or mythical tales and figures?
In what ways is this film about mothers and daughters? Besides Ronnie Anne and Punguari, what other mother-daughter pairs are there and what do we know about them?
How does the film differ from the series? Why would the producers make a movie about a TV series?
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
