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Story

The unfortunate kingdom of Malaria has been afflicted with perpetual storms and rain for years. King Malbert (voice of Jay Leno) has combated this adversity by making Malaria the centre for evil scientists and their evil creations. Their evil creations are used to blackmail the rest of world, who pay large amounts of money to stop the release of the creations.

Dr Glickenstein (John Cleese), one of Malaria’s most famous but inept evil scientists, is working on his latest entry for the Evil Science Fair, when he is accidentally killed. His oppressed but clever assistant, Igor the hunchback (John Cusack), decides to use this opportunity to live out his dream of being an evil scientist. With his friends, Scamper the immortal rabbit (Steve Buscemi) and the less-than-brainy Brain (Sean Hayes), Igor creates a living evil monster, Eva (Molly Shannon). Unfortunately, Eva’s ‘evil bone’ doesn’t work, and after a series of mishaps, she in fact thinks she’s an actress.

Further troubles arise when Dr Schadenfreude (Eddie Izzard), a rival evil scientist, and his shape-shifting girlfriend Jacqueline (Jennifer Coolidge) also plot to steal Igor’s invention to win the competition and overthrow King Malbert. With the help of his friends, Igor must try to convince Eva to be ‘evil’ for the competition. This will enable him to realise his dreams, survive threats to his life from the king and Dr Schadenfreude, and expose the biggest cover up the kingdom has known.

Themes

Evil scientists

Violence

There is some violence in this movie. For example:

  • After his invention fails, Dr Glickenstein throws Igor across the room and yells ‘strike’ when Igor hits some barrels. Igor does not appear hurt.
  • Schadenfreude and Jacqueline have two fights in the film, during which they use his ‘Igor’ as a slapping board. The hunchback is hit several times in the face and falls down. The scene is depicted humorously.
  • During a fight, Schadenfreude throws his girlfriend across the table.
  • Glickenstein throws a transducer at Igor’s head, causing him to fall down.
  • Glickenstein’s second invention is a rocket ship. During its launch, the rocket explodes and Dr Glickenstein is killed. While shocked, Igor and friends do not appear to be distressed.
  • When King Malbert visits Dr Glickenstein’s castle, he picks Igor up by the feet, and bounces his head along the ground, then drops him and steps on him.
  • King Malbert throws Igor down the ‘Igor recycling’ chute. Scamper and Brain later jump in to help their friend. They all end up winched along a conveyer belt heading towards giant slicing blades. They appear to be scared. Scamper rescues them, and he reveals he escaped by chewing off his own hands (no blood is seen). The trio are then chased along darkened tunnels by henchmen.
  • Suicidal Scamper keeps trying to kill himself. He drops a heavy rock on himself, drinks poison and blows himself up. Because he is immortal, he survives all efforts and is not injured.
  • Jacqueline kicks the king into the arena. He looks up to see his weather tower falling down on him. He is crushed under it, and Schadenfreude proclaims him dead.
  • As Eva is created by Igor, Scamper is struck by lightning and Brain has a large hand dropped on top of him. Both recover quickly.
  • Scamper reads an exploding greeting card, resulting in the centre of his head being blown out. He recovers and is not distressed.
  • Igor gets angry with Brain for messing up Eva’s brainwashing and chases him with an axe. Brain looks scared.
  • While singing a song, Eva spins about the room, knocking things down and destroying them. Igor, Scamper and Brain are knocked about as well. In another scene, Eva’s heavy-footed dancing results in Igor being launched off the floor and landing heavily in a box.
  • While making a costume for Eva, Brain accidentally cuts off Scamper’s arm. Scamper does not even notice and continues sewing with his other hand.
  • Eva falls down the stairs and accidentally squashes Igor beneath her. He recovers quickly.
  • Eva destroys all the other monster inventions at the Science Fair and then turns her attention toward the arena itself. She throws Schadenfreude against a wall.

Sexual references

None of concern

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

None of concern

Nudity and sexual activity

There is some nudity and sexual activity in this movie. For example:

  • Schadenfreude and Jacqueline have a brief romantic tango scene, and in another scene they kiss.
  • Jacqueline’s alter-ego Heidi is depicted as a voluptuous woman, but no direct comments are made about her generous cleavage.
  • Heidi kisses Igor.

Product placement

None of concern

Coarse language

This movie contains some mild coarse language and name-calling.

Ideas to discuss with your children

Igor is a light-hearted animated comedy about good and evil. Young children may find some scenes scary, and the themes and aspects of the dialogue complex. Older children will enjoy the amusing ‘big’ characters and slapstick humour, and there is much for adults to enjoy in the clever dialogue.

Values in this movie that you might wish to reinforce with your children include:

  • not being limited by other people’s expectations of you
  • striving and working hard towards your dreams
  • friendship and loyalty
  • the idea that we all have the potential to be evil but can choose not to be.

This movie could also give you the opportunity to discuss with your children attitudes and behaviours, and their real-life consequences, such as:

  • name-calling, belittling and demeaning others
  • prejudice
  • the use of violence as a means to an end
  • lying, being deceitful, cheating, stealing.

Supported By

  • Department of Social Services

Raising Children Network is supported by the Australian Government. Member organisations are the Parenting Research Centre and the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute with The Royal Children’s Hospital Centre for Community Child Health.

Member Organisations

  • Parenting Research Centre
  • The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne
  • Murdoch Children's Research Institute

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