It's a Family Movie that you'll Actually Like. Trust Me.

Rating: 10/10 (18 February 2006)

The best compliment I can give this film is to say that it deserves to stand next to classics such as "The Wizard of Oz" and "Alice in Wonderland." In fact it is similar to these two titles in many ways. The protagonist is clearly a young girl, not a teenager or adult, so that may have you thinking that the tone of the movie will be immature and that it will be an animated feature full of the sort of hyperactive barrage of goofiness that most modern "family cartoons" contain. However, like the two movies I mentioned above, the main character serves to bring a perspective of innocence and wonder but still has to overcome many real obstacles. Some of these obstacles threaten her safety and, indeed, her life. I will warn parents that some of the scenes do feature violence and/or the threat of death but let me assure you that it is not done mindlessly or even purely for excitement. It should also be noted as a positive that the main character does not ever resort to force or violence to solve her problems. She uses kindness or bravery to face down her challenges and I can't imagine any parent objecting to letting their (11-12+) children get a break from the villain-smashing fare that dominates the youth action-adventure market.