The Blue Elephant (2008)

To a person who is genuinely interested with the animal kingdom, people's history and culture, Khan Kluay (2006) is certainly impressive. The beautiful animations are both adorable and majestic which makes it truly an elephant tale which is also very lovely and inspiring. Half of this film is mainly about war but that doesn't mean it's bad. In fact, it is an eye-opener to Thai culture and warring-era. It can educate and enlighten, which also makes Khan Kluay (2006) quite an ideal teaching and learning tool for children as it is also filled with plenty of uplifting scenes. In brief, this animated feature is bittersweet as it has its own compelling life lessons. There are several themes that can be too serious for children; nonetheless vital to acknowledge and survive in our world. PS. I personally feel Khan Kluay (2006) needs longer running time although it's already amazing. Luckily, we can have more of it because there's Khan Kluay 2 (2009)!

Was enjoying watching it with my kids - the animation is good and the story was interesting enough. But then it came to the part where they are teaching kids that animals don't harm one another unless they are being threatened, "only MAN does that".... First of all, that's a total crock. Animals of all different species will hurt and kill each other for a variety of reasons and not always out of some basic necessity either. I'm tired of movies promoting this idea that the animal kingdom is this peaceful wonderful place and that humans should feel guilty and bad because we're horrible awful creatures. Embedding this guilt into our psyches and teaching kids to think this way is how we end up with tragedies like Timothy Treadwell's death. Am I getting a bit worked up over a simple kids movie? Perhaps. But for me it felt like the straw that broke the camel's back, there are far too many children's animal/nature movies like this, created by people who don't know a thing about nature.

I have to say, this is one of the best animated movies i've ever seen. This movie teach us to not only fight for our loved ones but also for the freedom of our country even if our army is small in number. Of course, some may find this movie unsuitable for kids because of war and violence, but I do not. The lead character (Kon Kluay) learns that he must never fight with others from his mother from his young age. This statement is a good lesson for young kids. However, Kon Kluay fights for his country's freedom after learning what has happened to his father. This movie is about having courage and mental strength to fight for your freedom and loved ones no matter how strong your enemies are nor for the riches of the world.In my opinion, even though this has a bit violence which maybe disturbing for children, this movie can teach kids good morals.

I was prepared to not watch this movie with my 4 year old son. It looks really lame on the cover. I was half watching, half reading until I saw the bandits. I closed my book and watched in awe as a beautiful Chinese fable unfolded on the screen. The elephants and humans don't speak to each other but they try to understand each other and everyone learns several real life lessons: Yes fighting is bad and we shouldn't do it, but sometimes you must defend your country and your family....your freedom.The blue elephant's mother tells him that fighting is bad but then when he is in the middle of a war he fights for what is important to him. This is a wonderful movie to use as a teaching tool for children who have family members in the service, to teach young children that they should not hit but that they shouldn't take a beating also....."is it worth it to get into a fist fight over a toddler toy at preschool - NO, but if someone is hurting you then you can defend yourself." It also works as a defense against adults - if a child understand bullying and tyranny they are more likely to fight against it.a wonderful movie, especially if you use it as a learning tool.