Alois' father believes Nello and Alois may have behaved sexually when the two were found sneaking alone into a shed. *noticeably absent in the English dub I found.

A man whips his dog in order to make it walk further with a heavy cart. The actual impact is off-screen, but we hear the whipping sounds and the dog yelping in agony.

A flashback scene shows a man whipping Patrasche in slow motion, and shows the same dog injured and left to die, prior to being together with a little boy and his grandfather.

A windmill is burned, along with a smaller building.

Some male characters yell at others.

A man attempts to take back Patrasche, leading to a brief fight between him and a little boy. This is followed by a foot chase that is rather played for some comedy.

A man consumes some alcohol inside a pub.

The ending is emotionally sad, even for a family-oriented anime feature.

The dog whipping scenes may upset some younger children, along with people who love dogs. However, it's all animated.

The second half of the film is increasingly upsetting, as Nello's life takes a drastic turn for the worse, and he becomes more and more desperate and depressed by his situation. Even before the tragic ending, most viewers will sense that this is not going to end well.