Not suitable under 8; parental guidance to 12 (violence, themes of parental separation)
This topic contains:
Children under 8 | Not suitable due to violence and themes of parental separation. |
Children aged 8–12 | Parental guidance recommended due to violence and themes of parental separation. |
Children over the age of 12 | Ok for this age group. |
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: | Four Kids and It |
Classification: | PG |
Consumer advice lines: | Mild themes and violence. |
Length: | 110 minutes |
This review of the movie contains the following information:
Four Kids and It is inspired by the E. Nesbit novel Five Children and It which was published in 1902. The film steps us forward into the present where two sets of siblings, who have never met each other before, are reluctantly forced to spend their holiday together in a cottage because their mother and father have started dating. The children are very unhappy about the arrangement! On the beautiful Penzance cliff tops, the four children come across a little cave leading down to a beautiful sandy beach, where they uncover (just like in the book, set 100 years ago) the mysterious and comical ‘Psammead’, a wish-granting sand fairy. The children are allowed to ask for one wish each day, but the wishes must be chosen carefully, and they always end at sunset. As the children overcome their initial dislike of each other and come to terms with their parent’s new relationship, they also have some wild adventures, making wishes that get them into all sorts of scrapes and mischief. Meanwhile, the eccentric landowner next door starts becoming suspicious and it turns out that he wants the Psammead all to himself. Will they be able to save the Psammead from a terrible fate?
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.
Family breakdown; Divorce; Blended families; Magic; Fantasy creatures; Animal cruelty.
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:
Children under five are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations.
In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children under the age of five, including the following:
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:
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.
In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children aged eight to thirteen, including the following:
Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult.
Nothing further of concern.
There are some sexual and romantic references in this movie, including:
There is some use of substances in this movie, including:
There is some coarse language and name calling in this movie, including:
Four Kids and It is an easy watch. It has some funny moments as well as lightly touching on sadder themes of parental separation. The sand-fairy is a little scary when he first appears, but he is a great little animated monster with a very friendly voice (the very recognisable voice of Michael Caine!) and a kind heart. Russel Brand’s caricature of an English eccentric is totally over the top and silly, which many kids will love and find hilarious. Parents should know that although there is not a lot that will really scare children, the scenes of gun-pointing and holding people hostage make it a little too violent for those under the age of 8.
The main messages from this movie are that sometimes parents are better off separated than together and that it is ok for your parents to start again with someone new.
Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:
This movie could also give parents the opportunity to discuss with their children attitudes and behaviours, and their real-life consequences, such as:
Tip: Leave out the first A, An or The
Selecting an age will provide a list of movies with content suitable for this age group. Children may also enjoy movies selected via a lower age.
Content is age appropriate for children this age
Some content may not be appropriate for children this age. Parental guidance recommended
Content is not age appropriate for children this age
Children and Media Australia (CMA) is a registered business name of the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM).
CMA provides reviews, research and advocacy to help children thrive in a digital world.
ACCM is national, not-for-profit and reliant on community support. You can help.
ABN: 16 005 214 531