Should I sit with them?

We would not put this on for a child under 7 and leave the room. Plan to sit with them at least until 10. After that, many families can watch with a grown-up nearby rather than on the couch. The notes above say what happens. You know your child. This is not medical advice.

Movie -- 2024 -- Netflix

Spellbound

Princess Ellian of Lumbria has been hiding a secret: her parents were turned into giant monsters after a journey through a dark forest. She sets out to reverse the curse before she comes of age. A colourful musical. The hard parts are monster-parents, a scary forest, and a marriage that cannot stay as it was.

Notes are based on public reviews and published descriptions.

Age

Not suitable
Parental guidance
Ok

GentleGuide scale for sensitive kids. Not an ACCM or Classification Board rating.

About this title

Classification: PG
Length: 110 minutes
Consumer advice: Mild animated violence, fantasy themes, and scary scenes

What to watch for

Scary Imagery: King Solon and Queen Ellsmere, already cursed, are huge feral monsters in the palace
Separation: Ellian is fifteen in a week
Peril: The monsters get out
Scary Imagery: The Dark Forest of Eternal Darkness: pathless, lightless, named twice
Peril: A dark-magic vortex appears when Ellian is distressed
Peril: Desert stretch: guards chasing, quicksand that swallows people, unstable ground
Sadness: At the Lake of Light they see the truth: constant arguing lured the curse
Scary Imagery: Ellian rages -- a song about being left out of their decision -- and the darkness engulfs her
Peril: Guards still see beasts: ropes, cages, muzzles
Sadness: Her parents pour the lake's light on Ellian instead of using it to fix themselves first

Timestamps

Timestamps are approximate. Cuts can differ. First one is free; the rest are in GentleGuide Pro.

00:07:40Scary Imagerymoderate

King Solon and Queen Ellsmere, already cursed, are huge feral monsters in the palace. They smash, snarl, and do not know Ellian. Advisors hide them from the kingdom. Colourful ogres, not horror makeup -- still parents who look like beasts.

Theme. A child's worst picture of angry parents made literal. 'They turned into monsters' can stick as an image even when the film means a metaphor for fighting.

What to say. You might say: 'They look like monsters because of a spell, and she is still their girl. If the faces are too much, we can skip the cage rooms.'

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Spellbound

Notes are based on public reviews and published descriptions.

What to watch for

Scary Imagery: King Solon and Queen Ellsmere, already cursed, are huge feral monsters in the palace

Separation: Ellian is fifteen in a week

Peril: The monsters get out

Scary Imagery: The Dark Forest of Eternal Darkness: pathless, lightless, named twice

Peril: A dark-magic vortex appears when Ellian is distressed

Peril: Desert stretch: guards chasing, quicksand that swallows people, unstable ground

Sadness: At the Lake of Light they see the truth: constant arguing lured the curse

Scary Imagery: Ellian rages -- a song about being left out of their decision -- and the darkness engulfs her

Peril: Guards still see beasts: ropes, cages, muzzles

Sadness: Her parents pour the lake's light on Ellian instead of using it to fix themselves first

Timestamps

Timestamps are approximate. Cuts can differ. First one is free; the rest are in GentleGuide Pro.

00:07:40Scary Imagerymoderate

Theme. A child's worst picture of angry parents made literal. 'They turned into monsters' can stick as an image even when the film means a metaphor for fighting.

What to say. You might say: 'They look like monsters because of a spell, and she is still their girl. If the faces are too much, we can skip the cage rooms.'