Parental Guidance: How Family-Friendly Are The Good Dinosaur and Creed?

Rating: PG, for peril action and thematic elements.

The latest film from Disney’s Pixar Animation has a high-tech, photorealistic beauty about it – you’ll swear you’re looking at real water, trees and mountains – but it also features old-school Disney peril that’s reminiscent of Bambi and Dumbo. In this prehistoric twist on the traditional boy-and-his-dog story, a young dinosaur named Arlo (voiced by Raymond Ochoa) reluctantly befriends the feral boy (Jack Bright) who’d been stealing food from his family’s farm. The two repeatedly find themselves in serious danger. Arlo becomes separated from his family and loses his way home in the treacherous wilderness. There are raging storms, predatory pterodactyls and vicious cattle rustlers to survive as well as dramatic parental loss early in the film, which already was devastating. The film has plenty of visual wonder and a touching, unlikely friendship, but also a pervasive sense of loneliness and fear. I brought my 6-year-old son to the screening and we both cried in different spots. I’d say this is OK for most kids in your family, but the sensitive ones may have trouble with the elements of parental separation.

Rating: PG-13, for violence, language and some sensuality.

The seventh Rocky movie finds Apollo Creed’s son, Adonis (a charismatic Michael B. Jordan), traveling to Philadelphia and seeking out an aging Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone, of course) to train him when no one else will. Ryan Coogler’s thrilling, beautifully made film is extremely violent and bloody – it is about boxing, after all – but it also features all the uplift and overcoming-of-odds you’d expect. And it’s got training montages – lots and lots of training montages. Along his journey, Adonis falls for the cool, beautiful musician (Tessa Thompson) who lives in the apartment downstairs from him, and it’s implied that they have sex. There’s also plenty of language and trash talk as Adonis prepares to take on various opponents, as well as serious discussions and imagery involving a health scare. Having said that, I’d say this is fine for mature tweens and older.

Rating: PG, for rude humor.

Totally charming, extremely clever and beautifully detailed, as you’d expect from the folks at Aardman Animation. The latest from the studio that brought you Wallace & Gromit and Chicken Run finds a mischievous sheep named Shaun enjoying some unexpected adventures in the big city. When Shaun and his buddies in the flock decide they’re tired of their quiet life, they cook up a scheme to sneak away from the farmer and have a little fun – but naturally, nothing goes as planned. What’s amazing about this movie is that it’s told without a single bit of dialogue – just grunts and noises here and there to indicate thoughts and emotions. There is some danger, though, as Shaun and his pals find themselves the targets of the evil animal control officer, who’s hell-bent on rounding up every creature he can find and throwing them behind bars. But the movie is also about teamwork, loyalty and friendship. The “rude humor” that earned the film a PG rating consists of some fart jokes, but otherwise this film is completely harmless. It’s a great choice for the whole family, especially if you’re looking for something to watch together over the Thanksgiving holiday.