Lego Disney Princess: The Castle Quest follows Disney princesses Moana, Tiana, Snow White, Rapunzel, and Ariel as they unite to free Ariel's father, king Triton, by completing a series of challenges in Gaston's castle. Along the way they learn the power of friendship and to believe in themselves.
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Message
Lego movies like this are typically lighthearted, full of plot holes, and made for little kids. This one is no different, except the ending of the movie suggests there could be more movies or perhaps a tv show in the future. So parents need to keep in mind that the movie's messages are presented at a surface level.
This movie has a very clear "girl power" message. The princesses are brought in as the five best "warriors" and are tasked with being the heroes. The only men in the movie are bad guys and Ariel's father Triton who has been taken prisoner. Boys will still enjoy the movie, but it was clearly made to encourage little girls to do great things.
Castle Quest also heavily promotes friendship and self confidence. There's many instances of working together to accomplish a goal, saving each other, and supporting Ariel's choice to rescue her father. Self confidence is elevated to a magical level when a thorny maze simply disappears after the princesses believe in themselves.
These messages should be no surprise to parents, as they're common in Disney princess movies. As the princesses sum up at the end of the movie: "It's about what's in your heart, and the friends you make, and being nice to animals!"
Content
Language
There's no swearing in this movie.
Fears
The movie opens with a dark thunderstorm blocking out the sky. Later a similar thunderstorm causes rough seas and wrecks a boat. These are pretty mild representations of storms in a movie, but a young child with a fear of thunderstorms could become slightly scared.
Several of the princesses find themselves in Snow White's dark forest, which is presented as a very scary and dangerous place. They eventually encounter some snarling wolves with glowing eyes. After being chased for several scenes and nearly eaten a few times, the princesses eventually manage to pacify them. Later they come across scary looking trees that come to life and temporarily capture the princesses. These are pretty mild scenes for all but the youngest of children.
While darkness is used mostly to set the mood and isn't specifically called out as being scary, basically every scary scene takes place in the dark. Along with the previously mentioned dark forest scenes, there's a fight with a fire breathing dragon and a thorny maze that closes in on the princesses if they think negatively. Both of these scenes are scary for the characters, but aren't that scary for the viewer. If a small child is greatly afraid of the dark, the frequency and duration of scary things that happen in the dark in this movie may make them feel uncomfortable.
Snow White has a recurring weird obsession with an axe. Sometimes it's funny and occasionally it's creepy in a horror movie kind of way.
The movie opens with Ariel's dad as Gaston's prisoner. The princesses are then transported to Gaston's castle and told they must solve puzzles to rescue him before he dies.
There's no fires, scary clowns, strong villains, or home break-ins.
Family & Relationships
For a moment it appears that the princesses were too late and Ariel's dad has died, but he quickly recovers.
As expected Gaston is arrogant, a narcissist, and the villain. However, his womanizing tendencies were NOT included in the movie. The worst he says is "but you chose 5 lady folk. Surely I'm stronger and braver than them."
There's no divorce, sexual content, running away, or bullying.
Other Content
Gaston has accumulated a large number of magical artifacts that he then uses to summon the princesses and set up their challenges. The magic used in this movie is consistent with other Disney princess movies.
There's very minor violence like sword fighting, characters getting stuck in barrels, etc.
Despite Tiana's presence, there's no mention of voodoo or any other religion. In fact, Tiana fans may be disappointed to find out she does little more than tag along with the other princesses.
There's no intense feelings invoked, strong violence, time travel, politics, evolution, or LGBT.
Conclusion
Lego Disney Princesses: The Castle Quest is a lighthearted young children's movie that blend's their love of Legos and Disney princesses. Although its messages are shallow, they are consistent with other Disney princess movies and little girls will enjoy the "girl power" perspective.
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