Show Kids the Wonder of Imagination
And Support Mental Health Awareness
If you’re looking for a great family movie, look no further than Wonder Park. My family all sat down to watch this animated feature and had loads of fun after with the extra features. As a parent, I also loved that while not overtly presented, it’s a message about a child dealing with severe depression and how she learns to deal with it. Having a child dealing with these issues leaves me to celebrate movies normalizing mental health struggles. The movie is fun enough for the whole family and the voice cast is excellent. It really supports the incredible power and wonder of the imagination and how far it can take you.
Message and Story
Wonder Park is focused on the character of June a young girl who is incredibly inventive and creates an imaginary world with her mother. This is Wonderpark. A fantastical amusement park run by talking animals. However, when June’s mom gets sick and has to go away for treatment, it sends June into a downward spiral. My kids have dealt with loved ones in the family being severely sick, and even passing away, so I did not object to this line of the story.
I think a story like this can easily open up the conversation with even the youngest of kids in today’s world were cancer and other horrible diseases are all too common. It is put simply in the movie, with no unneeded details, but it is clear that when June’s mom goes away, and she rejects Wonder Park, how it impacts her as a child. She pretends to be okay to her father and friends but is hurting deep down inside. It’s her discovery that Wonderpark is real and has been created by her imagination that she finally starts to heal. It champions the process of creation in healing and dealing with your inner monsters. True to the movie’s style, however, everyone gets a happy ending.
Characters and Scary Bits
The youngest of kids might find some of the sequences a bit scary. My 3 years old seemed just as overwhelmed by the zombie monkeys chasing June and her friends as they did. The tiny monkeys are not even that scary in and of themselves, they are quite cute in fact, but the nature in which they move and are presented can be scary for young kids. My older two loved it though and loved pointing out all the different costumes the monkeys had. The animal friends are very fun and set great examples of how to lead and help. My kids loved the action of all the fun rides and all three were inspired by June’s creativity and inventiveness.
A Fun Romp for the Whole Family
I enjoyed watching as much as the kids. I’m a bit of a DIYer myself and saw a lot of my childhood self in June. And who doesn’t want a smart Chimpanzee friend who can talk and wields a magic marker? We were lucky enough to get some fun Wonder Park toys along with the movie. These can be found at most major retailers and are super cute. There are plushes of June (my daughter won’t sleep without June now…) and fun collectibles.
There are even surprise toys which kids go gaga over these days. They come as fun roller coaster cars and you open up the front to find a costumed monkey helper inside. We ended up with a princess and two flower monkeys. My two younger kids were hooking up all three cars and pulling them all over the living room with the monkeys riding in their seats. So be sure to check out Wonder Park for a fun movie night for the whole family. I hope it inspires the wonder in your kids like it did mine. You can pre-order the Blu-Ray copy that includes the DVD and Digital versions as well right HERE. The movie is released on Blu-Ray and DVD June 18th.
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Calvin says
Sounds fun, definitely great that it spreads awareness of mental health. It’s something that society overlooks too much of
Vikki Billings says
This movie sounds so cute, I can not wait to see it with my grandkids.
Christian Alejandro says
Love the post and pics. I bet the movie would be a hit in our house.
Stacey A Smith says
looks like a great movie I wounder what my Nephews will think of it.
Melissa Hartley says
What a great message this movie sends! The characters are so cute; my grandson Kobe would love it.
Jessi Housel says
I love the concept. I find that my youngest with social emotional regulation issues might really enjoy this and be great to support discussions about feelings and imagination,etc.
Sade Rieux says
This is a cute movie I know my kids would love! I really like what the movie is about!
Stephanie H. says
I love it when there are movies that show kids that it’s okay to use their imaginations when playing and not to hide their emotions either.
Amanda Alvarado says
This sounds like such an awesome movie! I’d love for my daughter to watch it!
Ken Ohl says
my little niece would love this for sure
Audrey Stewart says
Our Samantha would love this prize. She loves all these characters.
kathy pease says
This movie looks so very cute. When my granddaughter sleeps over we love to watch movies like this.
Donna L Holder says
so cute. the kids will love this
Ladonna Wilson says
Great review on the movie, I think the little monkeys are cute. We havent seen this movie but it is on our must watch list 🙂
Joni Chadwell says
I want to win please!” Such a cute prize! thanks!
Christina Moore says
My granddaughter would love these toys
Terry Cross says
This sounds like a great movie and would be good for the whole family to watch
Leela says
Those toys are so cute. My kids would just love them.
Mike E says
Imagination is important for kids to develop and continue throughout their childhood. Very cute concept for a movie and good message
wen budro says
That sounds like a super cute movie with good characters and an interesting plot. It also sounds like it includes some talking points with my kids regarding some of the subject matter.
Chasta howes says
I love that the characters look so fun. It’s great that it can help children spark their imagination
shelly peterson says
this looks like a really cute movie.
Jenny Q. says
It is a great conversation starter to watch a movie like this and delve into topics which may have revelence in real life.
Rita M says
Such an important topic portrayed in a way children can understand and gives parents the opportunity to discuss with them.
Antoinette M says
Good message for children and fun to watch.
Dana Scott says
It sounds like this movie is deep and would be moving to adults as well as children. Talking about cancer with children is never easy and death is not an easy concept for them.
Carolsue says
I think this movie has a strong message for kids. The animals and stuff make it fun for them to watch, too!
Elena says
My kids would love to see this movie.
Michele H. says
I didn’t realize it was tackling such difficult issues. Kudos to the creators.
Jacquelyn Cannon says
This is a movie that my whole family would enjoy.
Heather b says
This looks like such a great movie! Cannot wait to see it!!
aaron reck says
Lol looks like a funny movie with some fun keepsakes for the kids in my family.
Mia E. says
Sounds like a good movie for kids to watch maybe with a parent if there are parts that they may need to talk about. One I would like to see.
Lauryn R says
This movie looks adorable, my kids really want to see it! We still haven’t yet but they have seen previews. I love the cute characters and the whole concept of the movie. What a cute collection of toys too! 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
Edye says
I cannot wait to see this movie! It looks so cute 🙂
Angela Saver says
Wonder Park sounds like a great family movie! I also really love the message of the child dealing with depression and showing how to deal with it.
Nerlande says
This looks like a very good movie I’m glad this movie shows kids with mental health issues.
Heather K says
What an amazing sounding movie. It is important for children to know they are loved even through illness.
Shakeia Rieux says
I didn’t know exactly what the movie was about other than seeing animals on there until I read the post. I definitely want my nieces to see this not because it has animals in it but because of what the movie is about.
Mayleen says
i want to win please
Amy D says
My daughters have been wanting to see this movie. We live in orlando, florida, so we love theme parks. The toys look super cute, and my kids would enjoy them too.
Anne Perry says
This film look fun. We would watch this during family movie night.
bernie wallace says
This looks like a fun movie for my family to watch together. I think my family will like the animals in this movie.
Victoria Barbour says
Wow, I don’t think I truly realized what this movie was about until your review. I love that it addresses mental health, as I too struggle with depression and anxiety. I also think that it is good to discuss cancer, it is extremely common for everyone to know at least one person who has it or who’s in remission. My kids have a grandparent on both sides that have/had cancer. This would make them feel less alone.
I love animated films and think overall this movie sounds great!