Not suitable under 5; parental guidance to 7 (themes, violence, suspenseful scenes of peril)
This topic contains:
Children under 5 | Not suitable due to themes, violence and suspenseful scenes of peril. |
Children aged 5–7 | Parental guidance recommended due to themes, violence and suspenseful scenes of peril. |
Children aged 8 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: | Onward |
Classification: | PG |
Consumer advice lines: | Mild themes, animated violence, sense of peril |
Length: | 107 minutes |
This review of the movie contains the following information:
Long ago, the world was full of magic and wonder, rich with enchantments and spells. Over time, with the use of modern technology, the magic faded away until it became nothing more than a legend believed by very few. On Ian’s (Tom Holland) 16th Birthday, he and his older brother Barley (Chris Pratt), who lives for the legends of magic, receive an unexpected gift; a magical staff along with a spell to bring back their long deceased father for 24 hours, the father whom Ian had never known. When Barley tries and fails to perform the spell Ian takes a turn but something goes wrong and only half their dad materialises. In a desperate bid to complete the spell the brothers embark on a quest to find another magic stone before sunset the following day. Ian, desperate for a chance to know his dad and have some quintessential father-son moments together before he is gone again, does anything and everything to bring him back. Meanwhile their mother Laurel (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) sets out to find them and soon learns, with the help of a manticore (Octavia Spencer), that there is only one thing that can save them. As the brothers’ quest to find the stone drags on and they are faced with one challenge after another, Ian begins to realise that he is more like his dad than he ever imagined and that he has had a father figure in his life all along.
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.
Separation from a parent, loss, magic, challenging relationships, sacrifice.
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:
Onward is an animated fantasy with an original storyline and excellent graphics. The characters are diverse, the plot is fast paced and there are lots of positive messages about believing in yourself, overcoming obstacles and navigating tumultuous relationships in a positive way that make this an ideal film for families with children 8 and over. Parental guidance is recommended for children aged 5 to 8 due to themes, violence and suspenseful scenes of peril.
The main messages from this movie are that love is a journey, not a destination and that although sometimes we may forget or not know who we are, ultimately, we are loved and there is magic in us all.
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 the importance of preserving historical places, openly communicating with each other, recognising the needs of others and being able to trust and believe in those we love.
Tip: Leave out the first A, An or The
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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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