Grade:

Transfiguring Adoption awarded this movie 3 Hoots out of 5 based on how useful it will be for a foster/adoptive family. [Learn more about our Hoot grading system here]

Movie Info:

• Rating: PG
• Genre: Adventure, Comedy
• Runtime: 95 minutes
• Studio: Disney

From the Cover of Flora and Ulysses by Disney:

“An imaginative and creative 10-year old cynic never could have predicted that her little squirrel would be born anew as a superhero and have the uncanny knack for helping her and the lovable but broken people in her life.”

[Buy the FULL PDF Review Packets]

Transfiguring Adoption’s Overview:

Flora and Ulysses, based on the children’s book by Kate DiCamillo, is about a comic-obsessed little girl who befriends a squirrel and is determined to help him figure out his life’s purpose. The target audience seems to be the upper elementary/early middle school age range (10-12).

It’s a cute movie overall and was an enjoyable watch. However there were some topics that weren’t handled particularly well and enough potential trauma triggers that it would likely be best to pre-screen or at least do some research before turning it on for kiddos, especially if they are particularly sensitive about animals and pets. It may also be one to avoid if kiddos are in the middle of a big transition period such as divorce or a new foster/adoptive placement as big life/family changes were one of the topics that the movie did not do a great job with.

** Spoilers Could Be Ahead **

How Is This Relevant To Adoption & Foster Care?

The movie does not specifically address foster care or adoption. However, the main character, Flora, is experiencing a recent parent separation and is struggling with it and her feelings of wanting everything to go back to the way it used to be are likely very relatable. A little boy, William, also comes to stay with his Aunt for the summer after his parents ‘sent him away’, something we later find out is due to his acting out after the death of his father. As a result of all of this upheaval, he is experiencing temporary blindness due to anxiety. While technically he is in the care of his aunt, we don’t really see her much in the movie and William spends all of his time with Flora and her family. So while his story isn’t in the center ring, children may also relate to his experiences of parental loss, being sent to live somewhere new, and mental health or behavioral issues as a result.

A storyline the movie touches on very briefly (and I wish they had explored further) is the idea that experiencing trauma gives an individual superpowers. In this case, Ulysses the squirrel goes through the physical trauma of being run over by a vacuum and as a result is able to fly and communicate with humans. Flora compares this one of her favorite superheroes who also got his powers after experiencing trauma. Most of the time, we talk only about the negative effects of trauma (and there are SO many). But in truth, surviving trauma also causes children to develop resilience and other survival skills which are essentially ‘superpowers’ that enable them to get through difficult things in their lives.

Discussion Points:

• Asking Adults for Help
  One of the things the movie does really well is that it shows Flora going to her father when she has a problem, and he listens to her and tries his best to help. Many times in children’s media we see kids who try to fix problems all on their own or who ask for help and are not believed or the adults are too busy to help. For children who have experienced trauma they have often been left to solve problems on their own or fend for themselves. They may not know how to ask for help or even that they *should*. This can be a great opportunity to talk with them about how Flora seeks out help when she has a problem and what that looks like. You can also reinforce that, like Flora’s dad, you will always prioritize helping them if they are in danger and will always listen to them when they have a problem and aren’t sure what to do.
• Fostering a Hopeful Mindset
  The idea of hope and finding magic in the world around you is a theme that comes up a lot in the movie. When we first meet Flora, she explains that she is a cynic- “they don’t hope, they see what’s real”. Her dad echoes this sentiment saying, “There is no magic- we just want there to be so that the world doesn’t feel so hopeless.” They both change their tune as the movie goes on, however, and their friendship with Ulysses helps them realize that hope isn’t a bad thing but something that’s worth holding on to- especially the hope that things can get better and they won’t always feel so dark or lonely as they might right now. This is an important topic to talk about with kiddos from a background of trauma- because they have spent so much of their life focused on survival, they may have trouble with future-planning and believing that things can get better. Ask kids what they’re hopeful about when they think about the future and if they aren’t able to articulate it, you may need to help them. Sometimes it helps to start by setting really simple, short-term goals and finding small things to look forward to.
• Healthy Goodbyes
  Saying goodbye to people, both temporary separation and more permanent ones, are a part of life. For children who have experienced foster care and/or adoption, it has often been a prominent part of their life and often the goodbyes they have experienced have not been good ones. Therefore it is important to help them learn how to say goodbye in healthy ways. While Mr. Buckman is staying with his neighbor, she tells a story about how when her husband was away at war and life was very uncertain, instead of saying goodbye they’d say, “I’ll always turn back to you”. This becomes something of a catchphrase for Flora and her family, meaning that they’ll always think of each other, even when they are apart, and remember why they love one another. This can be a time to remind kids in your care that you’ll always ‘turn back to them’ and care for them even when you aren’t physically with them. We also see Flora and her family release Ulysses back into the forest at the end of the movie. Flora says that “there are always other people who need saving” and that it was time for Ulysses to move on. And while we acknowledge that parting is sad, sometimes it’s what is best for everyone and it doesn’t mean that she and Ulysses love each other any less.

Cautionary Points:

• Extremely Poor Handling of A Character with a Disability
  William Spiver is a little boy who is sent to live with his Aunt, Flora’s next-door neighbor. We later learn that he was sent away by his parents due to some behavioral issues/acting out following the death of his father and remarriage of his mother. As a result of all of this upheaval, William is experiencing a sudden onset of blindness due to anxiety. In the movie they refer to this several times as ‘hysterical blindness’ a term which has been outdated for many years (It is now diagnosed as ‘functional neurological symptom disorder’ by mental health professionals). Even worse than using this outdated terminology is the way his disability is used as a humor device. He regularly bumps into walls and even falls out of a treehouse. None of the other characters seem concerned with helping him navigate this new disability and the whole situation is handled very poorly. Towards the end of the movie he spontaneously regains his sight at a moment convenient to the plot, after admitting how ‘at home’ he feels being Flora’s friend.
• Unrealistic Resolution to Parent Separation
  At the start of the movie, Flora is struggling with her parents’ recent separation and a desire for everything to go back to the way it was. Instead of her parents helping her deal with this life change the movie falls prey to the Disney ‘happily-ever-after’ formula. During the course of the movie, she is able to reunite her parents who remember how much they love each other (with the help of a squirrel with magic powers) and they are one big happy family again. While it seems nice on a surface level, this narrative can be extremely harmful to a child who is experiencing a more permanent life-change such as parent divorce or death, adoption or even entering foster care when it is uncertain whether or not they’ll return to their birth family. Children in all of these situations often long for things to return to ‘normal’ and focus all of their energy on this hope, rather than adjusting to their new life. This is really a case-by-case situation and for those who are in foster care with a goal or reunification, it’s important to talk about their hopes for returning home but also to make sure they understand that whether or not that happens has nothing to with any actions on their part.
• Unhealthy Food Behaviors
  When Ulysses first comes to live with Flora, he is obsessed with finding and storing food- looking for it and stashing it in the house and is always thinking about it. As Ulysses is a squirrel this is normal behavior as it’s what his instincts tell him to do. However, it would not be healthy behavior for a human character. Many children who have experienced abuse and neglect have had times where they did not have enough to eat. As a result, they may engage in food hoarding, overeating, or other unhealthy behaviors. Flora’s mom also makes a comment after Ulysses eats all of her snacks that, “Now I can’t eat away my sadness!”. Emotional eating is another unhealthy coping skill that children might have a problem with so it’s something to be aware of and address if needed.
• Unsafe Driving with Children in the Car
  There are two different instances where very unsafe driving is taking place. First, William, Flora, and Flora’s dad are trying to outrun an animal control officer who is after her squirrel, Ulysses. Dad has been shot in the arm with a tranquilizer dart and his arm is paralyzed so he cannot shift gears and asks Flora to help. He swerves back and forth across lanes, nearly has a head-on collision with a truck and ends up crashing in a ditch (though everyone appears unharmed). It’s also mentioned casually that William ‘fell out at a stop light’ due to a missing door on the vehicle. After Ulysses is captured by animal control, we again have a car chase where Flora’s parents weave in and out of traffic, speed, and make unsafe maneuvers while both Flora and William are in the car.
• Animal Peril
  When Flora first meet’s Ulysses, he is running away from a robot vacuum cleaner in a neighbor’s yard. We see the vacuum headed for him and it actually vacuums him up. Flora opens the vacuum, and he appears stunned but alive for a moment before he passes out. Flora then does CPR on him and he ends up okay- but there are several tense moments during this scene that might be upsetting to sensitive viewers. Later, Ulysses is seized by animal control, locked in a cage and Miller, the animal control officer says he is going to be euthanized for having rabies. He’s transported to a facility where we see lots of other animals in these metal cages in an institutional and unfriendly setting, presumably also waiting to be euthanized. Younger kids may not know what the word means but based on the tone and the reactions of other characters it’s clear that something bad is going to happen to Ulysses.
• Violent Cat that Attacks/Chases People and is Mistreated
  There is a running joke that one of Flora’s dad’s neighbors has a cat that is ‘possessed’ and there are a number of scenes where this cat chases people, hisses, scratches and even bites. It is portrayed as very aggressive and might be frightening to young viewers, especially those who have fears of animals. The animal control officer, Miller, throws the cat into a pool after one attack (the cat is fine, just wet, and angry but still inappropriate behavior toward an animal).
• Use of a ‘Weapon’ (children are in the line of fire on multiple occasions)
  There is an over-zealous animal control officer, Miller, who is determined to catch Ulysses and insists he has rabies. We see this man shooting the tranquilizer gun at a squirrel target in his office. While we do see that the box says ‘tranquilizer’ if children can’t read, they might not understand and think it’s a real gun as it looks very much like a weapon. On one occasion we see this man shoot these tranquilizers at Ulysses and miss, hitting Dad and narrowly avoiding the children. Later he specifically aims and shoots Flora’s dad multiple times while he is running along a rooftop, causing him to fall off.

Discussion Guide:

1. Why does Flora like comic books so much?
   Caregiver Note: When the movie starts, Flora’s parents are separated, and her dad has moved out of the house. He is a comic book writer and is likely where Flora initially got her love of superhero stories from. Reading comics likely makes her feel closer to her dad, whom she misses. But Flora also loves comics because of the stories they tell about overcoming trauma, helping others, self-discovery, and hope. Comics and superheroes often resonate with children who have experienced trauma because they can draw parallels from their own life to the lives of the characters.
2. If you could choose any superpower to have, which would you pick? Why?
   Caregiver Note: This is just a fun question to get kids talking- would they rather fly? Talk to animals? Turn invisible? The possibilities are endless! With these questions, though, it’s always important to ask WHY they chose their answer so that you can see their thought process and learn more about them and the way they view the world.
3. How does Ulysses get his superpowers?
   Caregiver Note: Ulysses discovers that he has superpowers after he is run over by a vacuum cleaner and rescued by Flora. Flora tells him that this is the way some of the superheroes in her favorite comics got their powers- by going through trauma. Kids may relate to this idea because they have also experienced trauma of some variety- whether it’s physical like Ulysses or other types of traumatic life events. This can be a fun connection to draw with them and maybe a way to help younger kids understand the concepts of trauma (a bad thing that happened to you) and resilience (inner strength that helps you bounce back after a bad thing happens). Ulysses survived his trauma of being run over and realized his superpower of being able to communicate with humans and fly. Our kids survived their trauma because they have the ‘superpower’ of resilience.
4. Flora’s mom constantly tells her that life isn’t like a comic book and it doesn’t seem to bother her. However, when her dad tells her the same thing she gets really upset. What’s the difference?
   Caregiver Note: Comic books were a special connection that Flora shared with her dad and he’s always believed in the stories the same way she does. So while it is probably hurtful that her mom is constantly sharing her dislike of comics with Flora and discouraging her from reading them, it’s something she’s used to and come to expect. When her dad starts echoing this sentiment it’s harder because he’s always believed in them and supported her interest before. She’s already physically lost her dad in the sense that he’s not in her life the same way he used to be due to her parents’ separation. And now she probably feels an additional sense of loss that this special connection and interest they shared is no longer there. While kids who are adopted or in foster care are physically separated from their biological families, and that’s hard, they may also be mourning the loss of other connections they had with them, not just their physical presence. One way to help lessen these feelings is to find ways to include these things in their life with your family- whether it’s a holiday tradition, a place they liked to visit, or a special interest like Flora’s love of comics. While it won’t be the same as when they did it with their biological family, it’s still giving them a space to acknowledge these special things in their life.
5. In the beginning of the movie we see Flora’s dad at work, and he seems very dejected and unhappy. In a later scene, we see him dancing around the store and making artistic displays, even though it’s still the same job. What changed in his life between these two scenes?
   Caregiver Note: When we first meet Flora’s dad he’s depressed- he has struggled for years trying to be a comic book writer and has finally given up on his dream. He’s separated from his wife, living alone and not getting to see his daughter as much as he would like, and working at what seems to be an unfulfilling retail job. However, after Flora introduces him to Ulysses and his superpowers, Mr. Buckman seems to get a renewed passion for life- he believes in himself again and has hope for a better future. For children in care, they’ve spent much of their life focused on survival and haven’t had a lot of time or energy to devote to thinking about the future. When you’re living one day at a time in survival mode, it can be easy to fall prey to depression and hopelessness. This question can be used as a way to talk with kids about what they’re looking forward to in their lives- maybe it’s a big thing like a vacation, upcoming bio family visit, or having their own family one day. But it can also be small ordinary things like you’re going to go to the park tomorrow, or they have a friend’s birthday party to go to this weekend. Having something to look forward to and work towards, even very small things, can give you the glimmer of hope you need to keep going for another day.
6. When Flora finds out that there are people who want to hurt Ulysses what does she do? Was this the right thing to do?
   Caregiver Note: Rather than try to solve the problem herself, Flora goes straight to her dad at work and asks for his help, which is the exact right thing to do! Too often in movies it feels like kids try to solve problems on their own, so it’s refreshing to see an example of what the right thing to do is. Children from a background of trauma, especially, struggle with this because they may have had to fend for themselves or even take care of siblings. And if or when they did go to an adult maybe they were ignored or punished so they’ve learned not to trust that adults will have their best interests at heart. This can be a great way to have a conversation with your kids about how they can always come to you when they’re in trouble and you will always do your best to help them and won’t get angry.
7. ACTIVITY: Squirrel Poetry
   Caregiver Note: One of Ulysses’ superpowers is that he can communicate with people through writing poetry on Mrs. Buckman’s typewriter. As a fun follow-up activity to the movie, try writing some poems of your own! If you have one of those magnetic word kits for the fridge- that would work great for this! But if not, you can easily make your own mosaic poetry kit by typing or writing a bunch of words on a piece of plain paper and cutting them out. Then mix up all the words, draw a handful and try to come up with a poem from the words you select! This can be a fun and silly bonding activity but also a great way to work on language and communication skills.
8. Why does William get so upset with his stepfather? Why is his name so important to him?
   Caregiver Note: We learn that William got upset because his stepfather continued to call him ‘Billy’ even though William said he preferred the use of his given name. William has a special connection to his name because it was something he shared with his father who has passed away. The question touches on two really important concepts- the first is the importance of our names. Names are really tied into our identities and this can be especially meaningful to children who are separated from their birth families- their name may be one of the only connections they have to that. Many people have preferences regarding what they’re called and whether or not they like nicknames, so it is always an important conversation to have when kiddos are new to your home and also to check-in with them about periodically as sometimes preferences can change, especially as they age. The other concept this question touches on is respecting someone’s wishes. William specifically told his stepfather that he wanted to be called ‘William’ and his wishes were repeatedly ignored which eventually pushed him over the edge. For children who come from a background of trauma, they’ve probably often felt like they had no control over what happened to them, and that the adults around them did not respect their wishes. This can be an opportunity to reassure children that you will always respect their boundaries and that if something makes them uncomfortable, they can and should always tell you.
9. Flora’s friend William experiences temporary blindness as a result of anxiety. What event caused his blindness to start? Have you ever felt so anxious or overwhelmed by your feelings that you felt physically sick in some way?
   Caregiver Note: William’s mother recently remarried (his father passed away when he was younger). His stepfather refuses to call William by his given name and calls him “Billy” even after William requests that he stop. As a result William gets so upset that he pushes his stepfather’s care into the lake and his mom sends him to live with his aunt for the summer. We don’t get a detailed timeline of when exactly during these events he loses his sight but it’s likely the combined stress built up from all of it together. While the movie uses the very outdated term ‘hysterical blindness’ the concept is still recognized among mental health professionals as part of a group of conversion disorders that include losing the ability to see, talk, walk, etc. due to psychological stressors. For children that have endured extreme trauma, they might have experienced one of these conditions. But even if they haven’t, they’ve likely had other physical symptoms related to stress or anxiety such as nausea, trembling, or difficulty breathing such as with a panic attack. This can be a way to talk about how our mental health and physical health are often related and the importance of having safe outlets for their emotions, so they don’t build up to that point.
10. ACTIVITY: Flare up Like a Flame! Game
    Caregiver Note: For this activity you need some sort of item that can be tossed around- a bean bag or beach ball works great (especially if you have kiddos who like to get their energy out). Have family members sit or stand in a circle. Each person will toss the ball/beanbag to another family member and say, “Flare up like a Flame, [Insert Family Member’s Name Here]”. The person who receives the ball will name one strength or “superpower” that they have, and then pass the ball to another player until everyone has had at least one turn. If a child is struggling to come up with a strength, have family members help by chiming in with what they think are things that individual is good at. When Ulysses is in trouble Flora tells him to ‘flare up like a flame’ as a way of encouraging him to remember who he is and what his strengths are, and to use them. For children who have experienced trauma, they often struggle with self-esteem and self-worth. Because so much of their life has been devoted to survival, they haven’t had as much of a chance to focus on developing a positive self-image. This game can be a great way to practice self-affirmations and help children identify their own strengths and share them with confidence.

[Donate to this Project]

About the Author: Jenn Ehlers

Jenn is a central Virginia native who received her BA in Psychology from the University of Virginia in 2012. Since then she has worked for a local mental health agency and the Department of Social Services in various capacities and has been involved in her community’s efforts to create a Trauma Informed Network. Currently Jenn works in vocational rehab and mentors youth in foster care. When she isn’t working, Jenn enjoys writing stories, anything and everything Harry Potter, and spending time with her niece and nephew.

**Transfiguring Adoption is a nonprofit organization seeking to nurture growth in foster and adoptive families by giving a HOOT about their families. Transfiguring Adoption does not intend for its reviewers nor its review to be professional, medical or legal advice. These reviews and discussion guides are intended to help parents to better be able to connect and understand their children who come from traumatic backgrounds.