Not suitable under 4; parental guidance to 6 (violence, language, themes, scary scenes)
This topic contains:
Children under 4 | Not suitable due to violence, language, themes and scary scenes. |
Children aged 4–6 | Parental guidance recommended due to violence, language, themes and scary scenes. |
Children aged 7 and over | 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: | Garfield Movie, The |
Classification: | G |
Consumer advice lines: | Very mild themes, slapstick violence and infrequent coarse language |
Length: | 101 minutes |
This review of the movie contains the following information:
Just a kitten and believing himself to be abandoned by his father – a tough outdoor cat called Vic (voice of Samuel L. Jackson) – Garfield (voice of Chris Pratt) sets out to find himself food and quickly encounters so much more. Adopted by Jon (voice of Nicholas Hoult) and later joined by Odie (voice of Harvey Guillen), Garfield is living the high life: all the food he could ever imagine, luxurious recliner chairs, Odie anticipating his every need and Jon inadvertently supplying them. Life is good and Vic is nothing but a bitter memory. But all that changes when Garfield and Odie are abducted one night and used as bait by an evil and dangerous cat called Jinx (voice of Hannah Waddingham) who has vowed to take revenge on Vic for the four years she spent locked in the pound. In order to free themselves, they must take part in a heist that will provide Jinx with an endless supply of milk and will (hopefully) make up for all the time she spent locked away. Garfield and Odie manage to enlist the help of an outcast bull called Otto (voice of Ving Rhames) who only wants to save the cow he loves from the company that is exploiting her and, in exchange for helping her escape, he is willing to give them access to the facility they need to rob. Things do not go quite according to plan and in the end – it will be up to Garfield to figure out the truth and to decide what and who is really worth saving.
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.
Abandonment; Family breakdown; Revenge; Animal exploitation.
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.
The following products are displayed or used in this movie:
There is some nudity and sexual activity in this movie, including:
There is some use of substances in this movie, including:
There is some coarse language in this movie, including:
The Garfield Movie is an animated adventure, with a fast-paced plot, well-cast characters, and a powerful message on the importance of family. The film is suitable for all but the youngest of viewers.
The main messages from this movie are that not everything is as it seems; that there is nothing more powerful than a parent’s love for their child (or pet); and that family is more important than anything.
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
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ABN: 16 005 214 531