Living alone on a remote island with her scientist father, 11-year-old Nim (Abigail Breslin) turns to her favorite adventure book author, Alex Rover (Jodie Foster), for help when her dad gets lost at sea.
Based on the popular book by Wendy Orr, this fantasy film is special because it shows young viewers that girls can be the stars of adventure movies too. Nim is a very appealing character and a great role model. She’s brave and resourceful, and--just as importantly--she knows when to ask for help. The movie is also a love letter to books and their ability to empower readers. Finding themselves entrenched somewhere in the South Pacific, young viewers will feel just like Nim when she happily sighs, "With a little imagination, I can go anywhere."
Younger children may be upset when Nim's dad gets lost at sea, and they won't understand how he could have left her alone on the island to begin with. They also won't know what to make of Alex Rover, who suffers from agoraphobia and is terrified of leaving her house. Older kids will admire Nim's courage and may envy her freedom -- as well as her pets! They'll love the way she plays soccer and dances with a sea lion, and the way he keeps her company when her dad's gone and she's feeling scared.
Tweens may try to picture themselves in Nim's situation and will find it empowering that she's able to get the electricity back on after a storm and scare off a boatload of tourists all by herself. They'll be fascinated by Alex's condition and the fact that she's able to overcome it only by helping someone else in need. They'll take to heart the messages that you have to "be the hero of your own life story," that "there's courage in every choice we make" and that you "have to learn and relearn that throughout your whole life."
Segments about "Nim's Friends," "Abigail's Journey" and "Working on Water," plus deleted scenes and a couple of wildlife and oceanic public service announcements.
Movie Pluses
Empowers girls
Encourages imagination
Movie Minuses
Nim's dad is lost at sea
A woman almost drowns
Nim is injured as she falls down the face of a mountain
