FLORA & ULYSSES
Hope, family, and a superpowered squirrel make this a sweet adventure.
Should You Watch It?
Flora & Ulysses is a warm family comedy about hope restoring a family. Flora’s parents have separated, her father has lost hope in his comic books, and her mother has lost her romantic muse and developed writer’s block. A squirrel with superpowers brings fresh wonder into their lives.
The movie is cute, touching, and funny. Matilda Lawler gives an energetic, engaging performance as Flora, while Alyson Hannigan and Ben Schwartz are also very good as her parents. The story offers positive messages about hope, purpose, and family, especially as caring for Ulysses brings Flora’s family together.
The concerns are mild but worth noting. The film includes comical slapstick, lying, and several humanlike references to “the Universe” that seem to replace talk about God. For older children and adults, this is a worthwhile family watch; younger children may need a parent’s discernment.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESFlora is a cynical 10-year-old girl whose parents have separated. Her father writes superhero comic books but cannot find a publisher, while her mother, a successful romance novelist, has developed writer’s block.
Then Flora revives a squirrel injured by a rogue artificial-intelligence vacuum cleaner. The squirrel, whom she names Ulysses, gains superpowers and can understand human language. When an animal control officer decides Ulysses may have rabies, Flora and her family must protect their extraordinary new friend.
Is It Any Good?
Three stars means this is a good, enjoyable family film with some limitations. Flora & Ulysses is cute, touching, and funny, and the scenes with the squirrel deliver the charm audiences would expect from this kind of movie.
Matilda Lawler does a bang-up, energetic job as Flora, and her narration is engaging. Alyson Hannigan and Ben Schwartz are also very good as Flora’s parents. The film’s positive messages about hope, purpose, and family give its comedy an emotional center.
The Worldview
The film strongly values hope. Flora begins as a cynical child, but caring for Ulysses restores her hope and helps bring her family together. It also repeatedly promotes finding a purpose in life and concludes with Flora saying, “We found wonder and magic in the people we love.”
The movie’s positive moral message is marred by several anthropomorphic references to “the Universe” that seem to replace talk about God. People also speak of the universe expanding not only scientifically or literally, but figuratively, as helping Ulysses expands Flora’s family’s social and natural environment.
The film’s central longing is for hope, wonder, purpose, and restored family love. Scripture points us to the true source of that hope: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing” (Romans 15:13).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements
Strong moral worldview where hope conquers cynicism, hope brings a family together, title character says, “We found wonder and magic in the people we love,” and title character repeatedly promoted the idea of finding a purpose to one’s life, marred by a few references to “the Universe” that seem to replace God, and a couple of references to expanding the universe, but also in a figurative sense as in someone “expanded my universe”
Foul Language
No foul language
Violence
Some comical slapstick and adventure violence includes girl riding a bicycle in the park gets bonked on the head with a flying volleyball, a vacuum cleaner with artificial intelligence goes bonkers, vacuum cleaner hits tree and causes a squirrel to fall out of the tree and get bonked on the head with a nut he was carrying, vacuum cleaner sucks up the injured squirrel, but people are able to shut down the vacuum cleaner and save the squirrel, girl massages squirrel’s heart and gives him mouth-mouth resuscitation to revive him, boy falls down repeatedly, startled and scared and frantic squirrel wrecks a donut diner, squirrel accidentally breaks the large donut sign outside the diner, man’s arm hit with tranquilizer dart and then tries to drive a car, man driving an animal control van tries to chase the man driving the car, right rear door of man’s car is hit and falls off, squirrel jumps on top of chandelier, and the chandelier crashes onto a large bowl of mashed potatoes on the dining table, people sitting at the dining table are splattered with flying mashed potatoes, dining table breaks, animal control officer hits man with multiple tranquilizer darts, angry cat repeatedly attacks people for no reason, etc.
Sex
No sex
Nudity
No nudity
Alcohol Use
No alcohol use
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse
No smoking or drugs;
Miscellaneous Immorality
Lying, some references to magic and wonder but not in an occult sense, and boy admits he got angry at his stepfather and pushed the man’s car into a lake.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Flora begins as a cynical child but rediscovers hope. What helps hope grow in your own life?
Romans 15:13 · Psalm 42:5The film says people can find wonder and magic in those they love. How can your family show love in ways that bring hope to others?
1 Corinthians 13:4–7 · Galatians 6:2Flora believes superheroes need to find their purpose. What does Scripture teach about why God made us?
Ephesians 2:10 · Matthew 5:16The film uses references to “the Universe” in ways that seem to replace God. Where does the Bible say hope and creation’s meaning truly come from?
Genesis 1:1 · Romans 15:13The Final Word
Flora & Ulysses is a cute, touching, and funny family comedy with encouraging messages about hope, purpose, and family. Its mild content concerns call for parental discernment with younger children, but older children and adults can enjoy this sweet adventure. WORTH THE TRIP — AGES 10 AND UP.
