Ballerina (2016)

Ballerina is the kind of bright, buoyant family film that earns your smile the old-fashioned way: with a scrappy heroine, a sweeping dream, and a Paris that feels like it was painted to move. It’s an animated backstage fairy tale where the city hums with invention and possibility, the music lifts every leap, and Elle Fanning’s Félicie radiates enough stubborn heart to make you root for her even when she’s making messy choices. The real secret weapon is the warm, quietly emotional bond between student and mentor, giving the story a pulse beyond the glitter of the Opera. If you’re allergic to earnest, inspirational storytelling or familiar underdog beats, it may feel a touch conventional—but if you want charm, momentum, and a sincere love letter to chasing what you can’t stop dreaming about, it’s an easy yes.

Ballerina wants to be an uplifting, kid-friendly “follow your dream” fairy tale set in a glossy, storybook Paris, with ballet as the big emotional hook. The problem is it plays like a checklist of familiar beats—mistaken identity, mean rivals, last-minute redemption—so you can see nearly every turn coming long before the characters do. A lot of the comedy and side characters feel like noisy padding that pulls focus from the more interesting dance-and-discipline story it’s trying to tell. If you’re looking for a nuanced, realistic look at ballet or a plot with surprises, this will likely feel lightweight, but younger viewers (or anyone happy with bright visuals and a sincere underdog message) may still have a good time.