Story
Adventure Time with Finn and Jake is about the surreal adventures of a 14-year-old human boy named Finn (Jeremy Shada) and his wisecracking dog Jake (John Di Maggio).
The movie has five episodes of the animated television series of the same name. The series follows the two best friends as they explore the post-apocalyptic land of Ooo. Whether it’s surviving the hellish dimension of the Nightosphere, or gathering friends to conquer an Ice King, Finn and Jake try their best to have fun and save the day.
Friendship; forgiveness; independence; determination; freedom; the importance of truth
This movie has some violence. For example:
- In the hellish dimension of the Nightosphere, a large red cloud floats over people who are trapped there. The cloud begins killing everyone by lasering them. It tries to laser Jake and Finn, but they manage to escape.
- Abadeer, King of the Nightosphere, tries to suck Jake’s soul by holding him down and extracting the life force from inside him.
- Finn defeats Abadeer by ‘slicing open his soul sack’ and imploding him from the inside.
- The demons in the Nightosphere get together and save their friend Marceline from an evil amulet. They do this by exploding the large, vicious body that she is trapped in.
- Jake transforms his hands into large sticks and stabs Abadeer through both eyes.
- After Jake and Finn get into a fight, Jake tells Finn that he will break every bone in his body and heal him later. They start kicking each other, punching each other in the face and giving each other Chinese burns.
Content that may disturb children
Under 5
In addition to the violent scenes mentioned above, this movie has some scenes that could scare or disturb children under five years. For example:
- In the opening montage, the post-apocalyptic world of Ooo seems to be filled with monsters and demonic beings. For example, a female vampire snarls at the camera and bares her teeth aggressively.
- When Finn works out that his friend Marceline has lied to him, he decides to talk to her about it. Marceline gets angry and changes into a giant red-eyed monster that growls at Finn.
- In a dream sequence, a woman who seems nice tells Finn to eat the bowl of soup in front of him. When he questions this, her head changes into a collection of flames and she starts yelling at Finn and frightening him.
- In a dream sequence, Finn tells Jake that he usually ‘dreams of messed up stuff, like a shark trying to eat off my face’. Immediately, an angry-looking shark appears. It shows its teeth and tries to eat Jake.
- To work out whether he is dreaming, Finn pinches Jake. Still in the dream, Jake’s flesh starts to melt away until only his skeleton is left behind.
- In an attempt to woo the Princess Bubblegum, Ricardo breaks the bones of the Ice King’s old body and puts them together again as an oversized heart. He creates his own arms and legs and makes a Frankenstein-like body.
From 5-8
This movie has some scenes that could disturb children in this age group. For example:
- Marceline’s father treats her poorly. He wants her to rule the Nightosphere after he retires, even though she doesn’t want to. She says, ‘I want your respect, but I’ve got my own plans’. He tricks her into wearing an amulet that will change her into a large creature that rules the Nightosphere. Marceline feels betrayed when she is rescued by Finn and Jake and eventually finds out what her father did.
- Finn and Jake are forced into the Nightosphere for unknown reasons. They have to wait in a line for 13 days to talk to the King to get out. They are upset, crying and helpless.
From 8-13
In addition to the violent and disturbing scenes mentioned above, this movie has some scenes that could scare or disturb children in this age group.
For example, in the Nightosphere, the entire landscape is scattered with flames and demonic creatures. As the camera pans across the area, the creatures act violently towards each other. Piercing shrieks can be heard in the background.
Over 13
Nothing of concern
Sexual references
This movie has a few sexual references. For example:
- When Jake and Finn are talking about their dreams, Jake asks Finn whether his dreams are ‘make-out dreams’.
- To beat the ‘Farm’ (a larger creature) in a fight of pride, Finn and Jake go to the Dream Warrior. He tells them to be aware of the ‘two golden apples’. Jake later says suggestively that he can ‘make a guess’ about what these are. He implies that the apples symbolise the Farm’s testicles.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
None of concern
Nudity and sexual activity
None of concern
Product placement
None of concern
Coarse language
There is some coarse language in this movie.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Adventure Time with Finn and Jake is an escapist movie that explores new and dystopic worlds through the eyes of a young boy and his pet dog. It’s also a fun, action-packed story about being friends, having fun and doing the right thing. Although Finn and Jake often take the wrong path in their quest to investigate new places and help the people they care about, they always have good intentions.
If you have younger children, it’s worth noting that the movie has animated violence and gore. Therefore it isn’t recommended for children under eight. Some older children might also need help with some scenes.
Values in this movie that you could reinforce with your children include:
- being a god friend and always being there to help the people you care about
- being truthful about who you are as a person rather than being perfect
- sticking with things, even when you face obstacles.
This movie could also give you the chance to talk with your children about real-life issues such as:
- the importance of rising up against corrupt leaders and fighting for your own freedom and independence
- the danger of letting arguments cause rifts between friends.
