Story

Passepartout (voice of Corey Doran), a book-loving marmoset, dreams of setting off to explore the world, far from his well-intentioned but overprotective mother (voice of Shoshana Sperling). When Phileas (voice of Rob Tinker), a sticky-fingered, adventure-loving frog surfs into his life, Passepartout can’t believe his luck.

Phileas bets some gambling shrimp that he can beat the current record and travel around the world in only 80 days, and Passepartout decides to join him on this epic journey. Phileas, however, has other plans and tries every trick in the book to leave the marmoset behind. Passepartout will not be dissuaded and, to his mother’s dismay, sets off on the adventure of a lifetime.

The unlikely pair is accompanied by a corrupt law officer. She’s determined to capture Phileas, framing him for a crime he didn’t commit, and also return Passepartout to his devastated and angry mother.

In addition to beating a record that’s far more difficult than it first appeared, Phileas and Passepartout must evade their pursuer while braving some of the most forbidding and dangerous terrain imaginable. When all seems lost, a chance encounter with a frog princess helps them see things from a new perspective, one that might help their dreams come true after all.

Themes

Separation from parents; family dysfunction and breakdown; the thrill of chasing down someone or something; bullying, gambling and unethical behaviour

Violence

Around the World in 80 Days has some violence. For example:

• A bank wall is exploded, and someone steals all the money.
• Passepartout hits Phileas with a fish.
• Menacing scorpions attack Passepartout and Phileas.
• The same scorpions then attack the law officer. She fights back, punching and kicking them until they’re restrained and trapped in a sand pile.
• Phileas shoves a character.
• Phileas and Passepartout are chased through a town. They fall, fling and fight their way through a tangle of rooftops and ultimately onto a train.
• The officer chains Phileas to her wrist. They fight and struggle on the roof of the train.
• Passepartout throws an axe at Phileas and the officer. He manages to cut Phileas’s shackle and free him.
• Passepartout and Phileas shove and bite each other as they fall through the jungle.
• Passepartout and Phileas come across a hostile tribe of head-hunters. The head-hunters are planning to sacrifice a princess to the gods by throwing her into a volcano.
• Tribal warriors shoot arrows at Phileas and Passepartout.
• The officer crashes into the oncoming tribe, smashing their ranks apart. She later falls off a cliff.
• Passepartout, Phileas and the princess catapult themselves over a lake of flaming lava.
• The officer takes a large bird and uses it to capture Phileas and fly off with him. She later crashes the bird into the ocean.

Sexual references

There are no sexual references in Around the World in 80 Days.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

There’s no use of substances in Around the World in 80 Days.

Nudity and sexual activity

Around the World in 80 Days has some partial nudity. For example, in a fantasy scene, there are some female frogs wearing bikinis and riding in the back of a convertible.

Product placement

There’s no product placement in Around the World in 80 Days.

Coarse language

Around the World in 80 Days has some coarse language. For example:

• There’s some name-calling, including ‘liar’, ‘mamma’s boy’, ‘weird monkey’, ‘loser’, ‘frog face’ and ‘jerk’. Phileas calls Passepartout, ‘Pass-a-fart-oo’.
• The phrases ‘Frog off!’ and ‘Kiss my axe!’ are used.
• There are numerous crude comments, mostly about butts, including ‘butt fur moustache’ and ‘things that smell like a monkey’s butt’.

Ideas to discuss with your children

Around the World in 80 Days is an animated adventure loosely based on Jules Verne’s classic story of the same name. The movie is a European production dubbed in English.

Because of the animation, Around the World in 80 Days will appeal to younger audiences. But some of this movie’s content, including its crude humour, name-calling, violence and unethical behaviour means that it’s mostly inappropriate for its intended age group.

The main messages from this movie are to follow your dreams and to never give up, no matter how impossible or difficult the road might be.

Values in Around the World in 80 Days that you could reinforce with your children include persistence, determination, courage, forgiveness and helpfulness.

Around the World in 80 Days could also give you the chance to talk with your children about the real-life consequences of things like:

• leaving without telling a parent where you’re going
• stealing from others
• gambling
• deceiving others.
• bullying people because they’re different.

You might also want to talk about the long-lasting consequences of a relationship breakdown between parents and children.