Ferdinand Christian Movie Review (2017)

Guidance: Talk Together

Ferdinand is a gentle-hearted animated story that celebrates kindness, peace, and refusing to be defined by aggression. For Christian families, the main discernment points are the repeated animal-peril scenes tied to bullfighting, references to death and slaughter, and a message about identity and self-definition that is warm and humane but worth grounding in Christ-centered truth.

Why This Guidance Level

This lands in a middle category because the film is broadly family-friendly in tone, with little concern around sex, language, or occult material, but its setting keeps bringing children back to danger, captivity, and the threat of death in the bullfighting world. The strongest reason for parental discussion is not harsh content so much as the film’s message about identity, courage, and rejecting violence, which can open good conversations about dignity, conscience, and finding our truest identity in Jesus Christ rather than in others’ expectations.

Faith & Worldview Perspective

The film strongly affirms compassion, gentleness, friendship, and the idea that strength does not have to look like aggression. Those are meaningful truths that can resonate with Christian families. At the same time, the story leans on a modern message of self-definition: Ferdinand is told, in effect, that he should decide who he is instead of letting the world label him. That can be helpful when resisting sinful pressure, but Christians would want to add that our deepest identity is not self-created; it is received from the God who made us and, for believers, renewed in Jesus Christ. Parents may want to discuss the difference between rejecting false labels and grounding identity in Christ.

Truths Reflected

• Kindness and gentleness are shown as real strength, not weakness.
• Friendship, loyalty, and care for the vulnerable are treated as good and worth protecting.

Tensions to Discuss

• The film may suggest that identity is mainly something we define for ourselves, while Scripture teaches that our truest identity comes from the God who created us and from new life in Christ.
• The story prizes peace, but Christian hope is not only avoiding harm; it is reconciliation and redemption through Jesus Christ.

Content & Discernment Markers

Occult & Spiritual Content

• Occult material does not stand out here. The story is grounded in talking-animal fantasy and emotional themes rather than magic, spells, or spiritual practices outside a Christian framework.

Sexuality & Relationships

• Sexual content is not a meaningful issue in this film. Relationships stay in the background, with the focus on friendship, family bonds, and belonging.

Identity Themes

• A central message is that Ferdinand refuses to become what others expect from a fighting bull. That can encourage children to resist peer pressure, but it also frames identity in strongly self-defining terms. Parents may want to discuss how confidence and uniqueness fit under God’s design and our identity in Christ.

Violence & Intensity

• The film repeatedly places bulls and other animals in danger through capture, training, escape scenes, and the looming threat of the bullring. The tension is not graphic, but the idea that an animal may be chosen for death is a real part of the story and may trouble younger viewers.
• There is also broad animated slapstick involving collisions, chases, and comic chaos. Most of it is played for laughs, but it sits alongside more serious scenes tied to bullfighting and the fear of being sent away to die.

Language & Humour

• Language appears mild and in line with mainstream family animation, with teasing, exasperated remarks, and comic insults rather than stronger profanity. Parents sensitive to disrespectful banter may still notice some put-down humor.

Other Content Notes

• The story includes references to a slaughterhouse or meat-processing destination for animals who are no longer wanted. Even without graphic detail, that idea adds emotional weight and may prompt questions about death, fear, and human cruelty. Parents may want to discuss how Christians respond to suffering with compassion and hope in Christ.

Notable Moments

• Bullring threat: The climax centers on the danger of the bullfight arena, where Ferdinand faces the expectation that violence and death are part of his purpose.
• Slaughter fear: Animals fear being taken away to a place associated with death, which gives the story some of its heavier emotional stakes.

Discussion Prompts

• Gentleness and strength: Ferdinand is strong, but he does not want to hurt others. When does God call strength to look gentle instead of forceful?
  • Biblical guidance: Scripture shows that gentleness is not weakness. Jesus Christ is both strong and gentle, and His followers are called to reflect that kind of strength.
  • Scripture: Matthew 11:29, Galatians 5:22-23, Proverbs 15:1
• Identity and belonging: What do you think the movie says about who Ferdinand is? How is that similar to or different from what God says about who we are?
  • Biblical guidance: Children can be reminded that they should not be controlled by false labels, but their deepest identity is not something they invent; it is rooted in being made by God and, for believers, belonging to Christ.
  • Scripture: Psalm 139:13-14, Ephesians 2:10, 2 Corinthians 5:17
• Responding to cruelty: How should we respond when people or animals are treated as if they have no value?
  • Biblical guidance: The Bible teaches compassion, mercy, and care for the vulnerable. This can lead into a conversation about human dignity, stewardship, and loving what God has made.
  • Scripture: Proverbs 12:10, Micah 6:8, Genesis 1:26-28
• Fear and hope: Some parts of the story are about fear of death or being taken away. What does Christian hope say when we feel afraid?
  • Biblical guidance: The film values survival and safety, but Christian hope goes further: in Jesus Christ, fear does not have the final word, and we can bring our fears to God.
  • Scripture: Psalm 56:3-4, John 14:27, 1 Corinthians 15:54-57