Around the World in 80 Days Parent Guide

Passepartout (Julien Crampon) has only one dream: to become a famous explorer. But that’s a hard dream to follow when you live in the middle of nowhere and your overbearing mother barely lets you play outside. Then an enterprising frog named Phileas (Damien Frette) washes ashore and Passepartout seizes his chance at adventure. Together, the two set off on a mission to go around the world in 80 days, though they may not be prepared for what’s in store.

I watch a lot of low-budget animated movies from studios no one has ever heard of. You might even say those are my specialty. I can assure you that nine times out of ten those films are trash. And once in a while you get a gem. Around the World in 80 Days is neither of those things. It’s fine. That is the best adjective I can summon. Fine.

The visual design is interesting because it combines generic 3D animation with 2D stylized elements. It’s fun to watch and adds an element of artistic creativity that is often lacking in the 3D styles that dominate animated movies. The voice talent is better than expected for a production of this size, and there are some enjoyable action set pieces. On the other hand, the story is severely underdeveloped, as are most of the characters. What bits of story do exist are comprised almost entirely of cliches and references to better adventure films from years past. The main villain has no motivation to speak of and side characters just kind of appear out of nowhere.

A big upside to this film is its almost complete lack of negative content. There is some expected slapstick chaos to go along with the adventure, but it’s very mild and reserved to only a handful of scenes. It may be lacking in obvious positive messages but at least the movie is also lacking in any negative ones. My five-year-old had a lot of fun with this one, so I feel confident in saying that young children will enjoy their viewing experience. For parents, although this won’t entertain you, it also won’t make you regret all your life choices. And sometimes that’s the best we can hope for.