An American Girl Story – Ivy & Julie 1976: A Happy Balance

This post was sponsored by KidzVuz for Amazon Studios. All opinions are my own.

Last night Gabby and I screened another Amazon Original movie. This is the second American Girl Story that we have seen and enjoyed. An American Girl Story – Ivy & Julie 1976: A Happy Balance is a film that not only teaches kids the value of family, but also serves as a reminder to parents to be more supportive.

Set in 1976 San Francisco, Ivy Ling (Nina Lu, BUNK’D) is a 10-year-old Chinese-American girl who struggles with finding a balance between her two cultural identities: Chinese and American. With her family’s Chinese traditions and obligations, she wishes to be like her all-American best friend, Julie Albright (Hannah Nordberg, General Hospital). When her gymnastics tournament and family’s big Chinese New Year dinner land on the same day, Ivy relies on Julie to guide her with a difficult choice. The special also stars Gwendoline Yeo (American Crime) and Lance Lim (School of Rock).

Throughout the film Ivy consults with her extremely supportive best friend, Julie, on her life choices. I love how no matter how many times Ivy asks Julie what she should do, Julie never gives her an answer. She explains how she will support her decision but she is not going to be the defining factor in her choices. This is a great lesson to other teens. It is the complete opposite of peer pressure and a valuable lesson that people of all ages should remember. Instead of Julie telling Ivy what she should do, she encourages her to write out pro and con lists.

Ivy works hard to accomplish her goals as a gymnast and to prepare for a very important competition. Her Chinese family has not always understood her dreams of competing and struggle to get her main focus back on her culture and family.

An American Girl Story – Ivy & Julie 1976: A Happy Balance

This short family-friendly film displays several life lessons for all ages. It was a nice reminder to me, as a mom, how supporting my children – even when their decisions and goals aren’t the same as my own – is important. Ivy’s mother expanded her own personal views during this movie and grew as a parent.

Watch An American Girl Story – Ivy & Julie 1976: A Happy Balance on Amazon starting tomorrow, Friday, March 24th.

Full Disclosure: My family received a free screening link of this film to share our thoughts. All opinions are 100% my own.