Not suitable under 5; parental guidance to 9 (scary scenes, violence and themes)
This topic contains:
Children under 5 | Not suitable due to scary scenes, violence and themes. |
Children aged 5–9 | Parental guidance recommended due to scary scenes, violence and themes. |
Children over the age of 9 | 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: | Wishmas Tree, The |
Classification: | PG |
Consumer advice lines: | Mild themes and animated violence |
Length: | 139 minutes |
This review of the movie contains the following information:
Kerry (voice of Miranda Tapsell) is an adventurous ringtail possum who lives in a safe city, protected from the bloodthirsty beasts living in the wild. Yet the wild is what she really wants to see. When the wish Kerry casts upon the Wishmas Tree does not appear to be fulfilled she decides to ignore the cautions of Yarra (voice of Ross Noble), the tree’s ancient guardian, and pluck the last flower to make another wish in the hope that this time it will be granted. Kerry’s selfishness causes a climate shift and the Wishmas Tree begins to wither and die. Upon witnessing the suffering she has inadvertently caused, Kerry sets out with Yarra and is soon joined by her cautious sister Petra (voice of Kate Murphy). Together they journey into the wild to find the first Wishmas Tree and to wish upon another blossom that might save them all from the evil forces of extinction. Along the way they face their fears, encounter creatures just as frightened as they are, become champions for good and learn to believe in the impossible.
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.
Extinction, segregation, difficult family relationships, possession by an evil force, environmental disasters.
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:
There is some coarse language in this movie, including:
The Wishmas Tree is an animated adventure featuring a number of dark and violent scenes. Due to the nature of some of these scenes the film is most suitable for families with slightly older children.
The main messages from this movie are that we are stronger when we are together; we are never too old to believe in magic; and it is not how we make mistakes, but how we correct them that defines us.
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