Around the World in 80 Days parents guide

Around the World in 80 Days Parent Guide

It's not trash; it's not a gem. It's fine. Just fine.

Overall B

Theaters: Passepartout wants to become a famous explorer so he joins forces with Phileas to travel around the world in 80 days.

Release date May 13, 2022

Violence A-
Sexual Content A
Profanity A
Substance Use A

Why is Around the World in 80 Days rated PG? The MPAA rated Around the World in 80 Days PG

Run Time: 82 minutes

Parent Movie Review

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.

Directed by Samuel Tourneux. Starring Damien Frette, Julien Crampon, Kaycie Chase. Running time: 82 minutes. Theatrical release May 13, 2022. Updated

Watch the trailer for Around the World in 80 Days

Around the World in 80 Days
Rating & Content Info

Why is Around the World in 80 Days rated PG? Around the World in 80 Days is rated PG by the MPAA

Violence: There is some mild slapstick and adventure violence including kicking, punching, and biting. Characters fall from great heights.
Sexual Content: None.
Profanity: The script features some mild insults. A character says, “kiss my axe”.
Alcohol / Drug Use: A character jokes that he “did not order a mocktail”.

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Around the World in 80 Days Parents' Guide

Why does Phileas dislike Juan Frog? What do the two of them learn from each other? Have you ever learned to like someone after a rough start?

Loved this movie? Try these books…

This movie is a very simplified version of Jules Verne’s classic novel, Around the World in 80 Days. Younger readers can try a graphic novel version with the same title, illustrated by Tod Smith. The Classic Starts version also offers a retelling illustrated by Jamel Akib. Dona Rice spins the tale for young readers in an early chapter book format, with illustrations by Fernando Juarez.

Home Video

Related home video titles:

There are plenty of adventure/travel movies for kids to choose from. In Paddington, an orphaned bear travels from the jungles of Peru to the heart of London, where he is adopted by the Brown family and has to protect himself from an obsessive taxidermist.

For a riveting travel tale, you can watch The Adventures of Tintin. Based on the iconic comic series, this movie follows cub reporter Tintin and his loyal dog Snowy as they go on a treasure hunt.

Madagascar takes viewers from New York to Africa as a group of animals decide to escape from the Central Park Zoo and make new lives in “the wild”.

When a lonely widower loses his fight with greedy developers, he inflates enough helium balloons to let his house take flight. Up is the story of his adventures in the clouds and then a waterfall-watered region of South America.

Moana tells the story of the titular girl who sets off to find a demigod and regain her people’s mastery of the seas.

Exotically beautiful scenes of Brazil predominate in Rio, the animated tale of a male macaw who is taken south and discovers his true love – and a cockatoo who sells birds on an avian black market.