Pro-nature tale is beautiful and sweet, has some violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
some
A fair amount of violence. A handful of fight scenes between spirit animals and monsters, spirit animals and construction machines, and evil monsters and humans. An evil scorpion monster pierces a little girl with its tail. She falls hurt with a darkened patch on her chest. Trees groan as they turn to stone; a talking tree "dies" this way. Dark tones, eerie sounds may scare younger viewers. A good earth monster forms and destroys demolition machines and terrorizes businesspeople. Two men get turned into bugs and then crushed by a giant machine. An army with guns advances on townsfolk, but there's no gunfire. A man yells, "Kill them!" A woman slaps a man in the face.
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Strong themes of family and friendship. Pro-nature and environment message. Encourages connecting with nature and protecting the earth, natural resources, and people's livelihoods that are often attached to their environments. Stand up against corporate greed. Be confident in taking your own place in your story.
Positive Role Models
some
Copi is a strong girl lead who's brave, courageous. Her friend Gus is also supportive and comes to Copi's aid. Nana Petra is a central moral compass, cares most about the mountain. She implores the town to listen to the mountain, not the businesspeoples' tales of wealth and money. Others in town also stand up against mountain's destruction. Xico, the spirit dog guardian, is supportive, positive. Xico comes into his own as descendant of Xolotl, aids Copi and Gus in defeating the evil scorpion monster.
Educational Value
very little
Some explanation of Aztec mythological god of fire and lightning, Xolotl. Xico is a descendant of Xolotl.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Xico's Journey is a Mexican animated family adventure about a girl and her dog who journey into a mountain to save it, the environment, and all the people in her town. The intrepid hero, Copi, is a strong girl lead, smart, kind, and fearless. She has strong support from friends and family, as well as from Xico, her guardian dog, who could turn out to be more magical than even Xico could imagine. It's a story of protecting nature (the mountain) against corporations who want to blow it up for gold and money. There are a few fight scenes where animals tangle with one another and large machines. Some scary sounds accompany some dark visuals, like when the forest trees and Mr. Tree turn to stone, when the scorpion growls, or when the corporation's businesspeople tell their army to "Kill them!" A little girl also gets pierced in the chest by the scorpion, but only the aftermath is shown (as a faded blotchy spot). A father gets shot, but it's also heard and not shown. Language includes one instance each of "damn," "hag," and "brat." To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
I am 71, a lifelong social justice activist and absolutely LOVED this movie and it's message.
Not only that, but I loved learning about the Indigenous Mexican culture and beliefs.
I am sharing it with many others on Facebook.
Congratulations on a gorgeous, well done movie! ❤
This felt like it was churned out with a small budget and little thought or planning. The characters (especially the adults and talking animals) are poorly scripted, the villains are stereotypic caricatures (more than a usual kids animated movie!)... Most dialogue just made me cringe. Daughter (age 8) liked but she has a pretty low bar! This just felt like it was written and created sloppily/carelessly...or maybe by kids.
They could have developed the characters, and the theme of environmental activism in a small town in Mexico, with much more respect. I rarely write reviews but this was ...just bad.
What's the Story?
In XICO'S JOURNEY, Copi (Veronica Alva) and her dog, Xico, race off into a mountain to find her lost parents. Meanwhile, Copi's grandmother, Nana Petra, tries to stop the incoming corporate excavation and demolition machines en route to explode and destroy the mountain. With help from her friends, family, and newfound spirit guardians, will Copi find her parents? Who will stop the corporation from destroying the mountain?
The animation in this fun family movie is beautiful, bright, and colorful. The look of Xico's Journey is unique in that it looks a bit like the animation style used in the stunning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, only a lot less busy and much more minimalist. But that isn't to say this doesn't look modern. There are nice visual touches, special effects, and shot sequences. And while the story is OK and reminds us to always remember that we are a part of nature, it's a bit thin, so the performances keep everything together: tension, emotion, and motivation. Veronica Alva and Luis Angel Jaramillo are effortless as Copi and Gus, respectively. There are tender moments, moments of peril, and moments of success. Kids will enjoy the ending and might even be inspired to do their part to help the environment.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about animation and special effects in family movies. How does Xico's Journey look compared to other animated movies you've seen? How would you describe the animation?
Discuss what's wrong with what the businesspeople wanted. Why might it be wrong for people to destroy something in order to make money?
What happened to the mayor at the end, when he stepped into the light? Why would he do this? Do you think he still deserves "punishment," or do you think he learned his lesson? Why?
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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 JK Sooja
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
