Not suitable under 9; parental guidance to 11 (scary scenes, themes and violence)
This topic contains:
Children under 9 | Not suitable due to scary scenes, themes and violence. |
Children aged 9–11 | Parental guidance recommended due to scary scenes, themes and violence. |
Children over the age of 11 | 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: | Hocus Pocus 2 |
Classification: | PG |
Consumer advice lines: | Some scenes may scare young children |
Length: | 107 minutes |
This review of the movie contains the following information:
Decades after the original film takes place, Becca (Whitney Peak) and her best friend, Izzy (Belissa Escobedo), go to their special spot in the woods outside of Salem to do a birthday ritual. Magic store owner and aspiring magician, Gilbert (Sam Richardson), has gifted Becca a candle which the girls light. Unbeknownst to them, it is a replica of the legendary ‘black flame candle’ and it too possesses the power to return the Sanderson sisters to life. With another shot at immortality, Winnie (Bette Midler), Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Mary (Kathy Najimy) are determined not to be fooled or side-tracked and vow to do everything they can to avenge themselves on the people of Salem. The sisters plan to start with Becca and Izzy but soon notice that the Mayor of Salem (Tony Hale) is a direct descendant of their nemesis, a 16th century reverend, who tried to separate the sisters and force Winnie into an arranged marriage. When their plans to locate the Mayor go awry, the sisters give Gilbert the choice of procuring a list of random ingredients for a spell that will make them all-powerful, or suffering a terrible death. While Becca and Izzy do what they can to keep the Mayor safe, they soon learn that his daughter, Cassie (Lilia Buckingham), and their estranged friend is also in danger. When Cassie is abducted by the witches, Becca and Izzy pursue her back to the woods and, with the help of an unexpected ally, attempt to save Cassie, themselves and all of Salem from the ever-present threat of the Sanderson sisters.
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.
Child/teenage abduction and the concept of sucking the life out of children; Witchcraft; Revenge.
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 are some sexual references in this movie, including:
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:
Hocus Pocus 2 is the long awaited sequel to Disney’s original, Hocus Pocus. Featuring some of the original cast and a number of new additions, the film shines a light on the earlier years of the Sandersons and shows the depths of sisterly devotion. Hocus Pocus 2 will be best enjoyed by tweens, teens and fans of the original film.
The main messages from this movie are that there is strength in standing together; that women (and girls) become stronger when they are united; and that power is meant to be shared.
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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