Paper Planes is the magical story of an Australian boy’s passion for flight and his journey to compete in the world Paper Plane Championships
The movie tells the tale of Dylan (Ed Oxenbould – Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day) who we see at the start of the movie having a hard time, with his father in a deep depression after the loss of his mother. Through the paper plane making, Dylan goes on his own journey which leads him to meet junior Japanese champion, Kimi, and they develop a close bond challenging each other to build the most beautiful paper plane ever made.
We went along to a gala screening where the kids had fun folding and launching their own planes before watching the movie. Here we are launching planes with everyone in the cinema.
My kids all enjoyed the movie, especially my older two – 5 and 7. My 7 year old went through a big paper plane making phase a while ago, it was a big craze with him and a couple of his friends so he was really interested to see the championships and was really gripped with the movie. My 5 year old is also really into making all kinds of things generally, so he said he loved it since it was all about making!
Paper Planes is a great family friendly movie, and since so many kids movies are animated it feels quite refreshing and different to have a movie like this with a simple (yet gripping) story, acted primary by children without animation. The story of a child striving to achieve something, despite going through a hard time, is timeless and something that any child can easily understand and relate to – and they were all supporting Dylan all the way.
The movie does cover some hard topics, like the death of Dylan’s mother, although it’s not focused on in depth – this is always there throughout the background of the movie. I did hear a small child near to me in the cinema asking their parent a few worried questions about this – although mine seemed to take it in their stride! So I would recommend it generally for kids of around 6 and up, and it’s one that the adults watching will enjoy too. It’s beautifully made, and leaves you feeling positive and uplifted.
I would recommend it as a great feel good family movie.
Here’s a clip from the beginning of the movie.
Paper Planes is out in Cinemas in the UK on October 23rd.
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.