Leap! (Ballerina) parents guide

Leap! (Ballerina) Parent Guide

The cliché plot holds few surprises, but may still inspire young viewers who have dancing dreams of their own.

Overall B

Felicia Milliner (voice of Elle Fanning), an aspiring ballerina, will do anything to get a chance to dance, including running away from an orphanage and impersonating someone else.

Release date August 25, 2017

Violence B
Sexual Content A-
Profanity A
Substance Use A-

Why is Leap! (Ballerina) rated PG? The MPAA rated Leap! (Ballerina) PG for some impolite humor, and action.

Run Time: 89 minutes

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Parent Movie Review

Leap!, as it is titled in the United States, is releasing on 25 August, 2017. The movie is called Ballerinain other markets, and opened in Canadian theaters on March 3, 2017.

Dreams are often the powerful motivating force in a movie’s script. And when the aspirations are those of a couple of parentless children, the ambitions are unstoppable. It’s the late 1800s in France and young Félicie (voice of Elle Fanning) has attempted so many elaborate escapes from her surprisingly comfortable orphanage that she has become an endearing counterpoint to the institution’s otherwise humdrum activities. However, when her good friend Victor (voice of Dane DeHaan) provides his services as a creative accomplice, both manage to break free and make their way to Paris where each plan to pursue their dreams.

Arriving in the city, the pair of gregarious ‘tweens soon use their charming personalities to conveniently position themselves on the pathway to success. Victor wants to be an inventor. After seeing the Tour de Effiel in the process of construction, he manages to weasel his way into Gustav Effiel’s shop—even though he is only a lowly sweeper-upper. During the same time, Félicie manages to worm her way into the life of Odette (voice of Carly Rae Jepsen), a lame woman who works as a cleaner at an acclaimed dancing school, when she offers to assist her with her chores.

Considering the animation’s title (Leap! in the US, Ballerina in Canada and other foreign markets), it’s no surprise the script focuses on Félicie. As coincidence would have it, Odette also keeps house for an aristocrat named Régine Le Haut (voice of Julie Khaner), whose haughty daughter Camille (voice of Maddie Ziegler) is training to be a ballerina and has applied for admittance at the prestigious dancing school. Félicie happens to be tidying up by the front door when Camille’s letter of acceptance arrives. Seizing the opportunity, Félicie pretends to be Camille, and attends academy herself.

The cliché plot holds few surprises, although it requires some great imagination (or plain naivety) to believe a girl with no classical training will be able to work her way through the complicated and demanding rigors of this art form, and have a chance of being chosen to dance a lead role in an upcoming show. What usually takes years happens in only a few days. This unrealistic depiction might also engender high hopes in small ones who believe they can do likewise.

Besides Félicie’s deceit (which inevitably is discovered), other content concerns include mild potty humor, slapstick antics, mean-spirited competition, bullying and an over-the-top antagonist whose jealousy turns to murderous intents and threats with a sledge hammer.

Still, this Canadian/French co-production does boast some impressive visuals. It may also have young viewers with similar dreams happily doing pirouettes for a while to come. With that payoff in mind, perhaps sitting through this film won’t be tutu painful for parents.

Directed by Eric Summer, Éric Warin. Starring Elle Fanning, Dane DeHaan, Maddie Ziegler. Running time: 89 minutes. Theatrical release August 25, 2017. Updated

Leap! (Ballerina)
Rating & Content Info

Why is Leap! (Ballerina) rated PG? Leap! (Ballerina) is rated PG by the MPAA for some impolite humor, and action.

Violence: Characters lie to impress others and for their personal gain. People are hurt by their actions and broken promises. Children disregard authority figures, escape from an orphanage and ride a train illegally. Many slapstick antics are depicted. Competition turns mean-spirited. Teasing and bullying are depicted. A jealous woman bent on revenge threatens to injure and/or kill another character – tools are used as weapons and characters are put in perilous situations.

Sexual Content: Female characters are seen in short shorts and dancing costumes. Mild potty humor is included. Brief embracing and kissing are shown.

Profanity: Name- calling occurs.

Alcohol / Drug Use: Drinking in seen in a pub setting.

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Leap! (Ballerina) Parents' Guide

Each of the characters in this film has dreams. How do these aspirations inspire them to do hard things? How does their ambition also lead them to lie and hurt others? Is it possible to pursue your goals without having to ignore your ethics? How satisfying is success if you have to cheat to get it? What are your dreams? What price would you be willing to pay to achieve them?

This movie mentions Gustav Eiffel, the engineer behind Paris’s famous landmark, the Eiffel Tower (completed in 1889). He also helped design the Statue of Liberty for the United States.

News About "Leap! (Ballerina)"

Not just pretty voices: Did you know Maddie Ziegler, who provides the voice of Camille, became a dance star after appearing in the reality series Dance Moms? And Carly Rae Jepsen, the voice of Odette, is a Canadian pop singer who gained attention after winning third place in Canadian Idol (2007).

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Leap! (Ballerina) movie is November 21, 2017. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: Leap!
Release Date: 21 November 2017
Leap! releases to home video (Blu-ray/Digital HD) with the following extras:
- “In the Recording Booth with Kate McKinnon, Nat Wolff, and Maddie Ziegler” Featurette
- Behind-the-Scenes Video Gallery

Related home video titles:

Elle Fanning also provides her voice talent in the animation My Neighbor Totoro. Other children learn to dance in the documentary Mad Hot Ballroom.