A Horse Named Winx

image for A Horse Named Winx

Short takes

Not suitable under 9; parental guidance to 10 (themes, distressing scene, a sexual reference)

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This topic contains:

  • overall comments and recommendations
  • details of classification and consumer advice lines for A Horse Named Winx
  • a review of A Horse Named Winx completed by the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 3 September 2024.

Overall comments and recommendations

Children under 9 Not suitable due to themes, upsetting scenes, and a sexual reference.
Children aged 9–10 Parental guidance recommended due to themes, and a sexual reference.
Children aged 11 and over Ok for this age group.

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Australian Government Classification Board and the associated consumer advice lines. Other classification advice (OC) is provided where the Australian film classification is not available.

Name of movie: A Horse Named Winx
Classification: PG
Consumer advice lines: Mild coarse language
Length: 117 minutes

ACCM review

This review of the movie contains the following information:

A synopsis of the story

Former trainer Chris Waller, jockey Hugh Bowman and the lucky few who purchased ‘Lot 329’, a long legged, rather unremarkable-looking horse who would soon become a legendary champion called Winx, share their insights and behind the scenes experiences as they weave together a most remarkable tale. Unlike most horses, Winx was born in broad daylight and immediately got to her feet. She was soon racing around the paddock and was notoriously hard to catch. Largely viewed as unremarkable, she was auctioned off and eventually sent to an upmarket ‘bootcamp’ for future racing champions. Here she did all that was asked of her, but there was still nothing that marked her as the star she would become. She won some races, lost some races and then seemed to lose her confidence entirely. She was taken to Queensland to begin competing in the lead up to the coveted Cox Plate and from this point on she seemed to know her purpose and exactly what to do. She came from last place to take the lead and went on to win the race. And then, despite pain and challenges, she went on to win every race she entered. She repeatedly made history and showed the world that even under the most challenging of circumstances, not only did she have what it took to win, she also had what it took to survive.

Themesinfo

Children and adolescents may react adversely at different ages to themes of crime, suicide, drug and alcohol dependence, death, serious illness, family breakdown, death or separation from a parent, animal distress or cruelty to animals, children as victims, natural disasters and racism. Occasionally reviews may also signal themes that some parents may simply wish to know about.

Horse racing; Animal injury; Death of a foal; Fame and Sacrifice.

Use of violenceinfo

Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.

Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.

There is some violence in this movie, including:

  • The jockeys often hit the race horses on their rumps with whips.
  • Hugh Bowman falls off Winx during a race, lands on the ground unconscious and is nearly trampled by other horses.

Material that may scare or disturb children

Under fiveinfo

Children under five are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations.

  • Nothing further noted for this age group.

Aged five to eightinfo

Children aged five to eight will also be frightened by scary visual images and will also be disturbed by depictions of the death of a parent, a child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes and scary visual images, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children aged five to eight, including the following:

  • Winx is taken in for surgery and is shown unconscious, upside down and being lifted by her legs. Some children may be worried for her welfare.
  • Chris Waller describes how a previous horse lost his life during a race. He struggles to control his emotions as he recalls the devastating experience.
  • Winx’s first foal is stillborn and Winx’s heartbroken owners and trainer describe how this affected her. Winx still tried to be a mother even though her baby had passed away. She became very sick with colic very quickly, was taken to the hospital and nearly died. Her owners were told to come and say goodbye as the veterinarians believed she only had hours left. Many could not control their tears. Winx struggled to stand and her legs were shaking but by the force of her will she somehow pulled through. The scenes are not scary but could be distressing to some children.

Aged eight to thirteeninfo

Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.

  • Nothing further noted.

Product placement

The following products are displayed or used in this movie:

  • Many advertising signs are often displayed during races, including:
    • Ladbrokes
    • Bertocci
    • Optus
    • BMW
    • Meyer
    • City Jeep
    • Dilmah Tea
    • Emirates
    • Schweppes
    • Carlton Draught
    • Longines
    • Heineken
    • Lifecycle Fitness.
  • The Ralph Lauren logo is clearly displayed on shirts.
  • Nikon cameras are used.
  • Scone Equine Hospital is promoted.

Sexual references

There are some sexual references in this movie, including:

  • Of one of Winx’s owners, it is said that he: “likes women and likes fillies.”
  • A cartoon character winks and blows a kiss.
  • “Cheeky buns” and “lovely tits” are mentioned in relation to show girls.

Nudity and sexual activity

There is some nudity and sexual activity in this movie, including:

  • A man in the stands at a race is dancing wildly with his shirt open and his chest exposed.

Use of substances

There is some use of substances in this movie, including:

  • A woman is smoking in the background.
  • A groomer describes Winx’s attitude to a challenging race as: “Hold my beer. I’ve got this… No worries.”

Coarse language

There is some coarse language in this movie, including:

  • You’re frickin’ kidding me.
  • Oh fu(ck) – the last part is beeped out.

In a nutshell

A Horse Named Winx is a documentary detailing the extraordinary journey of Winx and her trainers as she achieved unprecedented success on the racetrack and inspired countless others all over the world. The film contains actual footage from the races as well as historical glimpses of her jockey, and interviews with those who were part of Winx’s team. The film is suitable for audiences aged 9 and up, with parental guidance for ages 9 and 10.

The main messages from this movie are to inspire others by sharing an incredible story of destiny and determination; and to remind us all that sometimes impossible things can happen and that dreams really do come true.

Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:

  • Determination
  • Courage
  • Persistence
  • Compassion
  • Love.

This movie could also give parents the opportunity to discuss with their children attitudes and behaviours, and their real-life consequences, such as:

  • Using animals for financial gain and not looking after them (the opposite of what Winx’s team did).
  • Being blinded by fame and allowing other people to determine what you do as opposed to focussing on the welfare of the animal.
  • Being so focussed on one thing that you miss out on other important aspects of life.