I think it's so so - some good stuff, some bad. The beginning is great but the rest of the movie is bad. There are people in jail. There is fighting. There is too much sexiness.
Beauty and the Beast
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
You can't judge a beast by his cupboard.
Themes in this movie include: dating/crushes, revenge
updated 09.17.09
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 5 and Up
The good stuff
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Role models:
What to watch out for
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Violence & scariness:
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Sexy stuff:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Beauty and the Beast was written by Common Sense Media Editors
Parents need to know that Beast's initial ferocity might scare younger viewers. Once kids have seen his gentle side, they may find scenes of him being hunted and stabbed by Gaston emotionally intense. For kids mature enough for feature-lengths stories, this may be one of the best Disney movies they could spend time with, in a league of its own in terms of intelligence, production quality, and originality.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about Belle and Beast's first impressions of each other. What did they discover about each other as their relationship grew?
- As one of the popular Disney Princesses, how is Belle the same as Cinderella and the Little Mermaid? How is she different?
Have you seen it? Review It!
More on Beauty and the Beast
What’s the Story?
When a prince turns away an old woman selling apples because of her ugly appearance, she casts a spell that turns him into a beast and his staff into objects. Only finding someone to love him can undo the enchantment, but misfortune turns Beast bitter and mean. When by chance a young woman from the village finds the castle, the staff hopes she'll break the spell even as Beast holds her prisoner. At first repulsed by Beast, she later sees the beautiful person still inside him. But will her love save Beast from a village determined to kill him?
Is It Any Good?
Beauty and the Beast may not be Disney's most famous movie, but it stands as the studio's crowning achievement, winning an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe for Best Picture. Stellar music, delightful animation, and above all compelling characters make it both a great animated feature for kids and a great movie for anyone. Although based on source material, this one escapes the fate of sounding merely recycled from previous Disney movies.
In essence all great stories are about transformation, and this one beats out even Cinderella as the ultimate makeover story. Beast's inner transformation precedes his outer one. The Special Edition DVD adds a scene and a new song sequence to the original movie (presumably to sell DVDs), but the additions are weaker than the rest. Find the original if you can. The other extras in this edition are good, though, with a "making of" feature that will interest adults.
Movie Details
Studio: Disney, Directors: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
Run time: 90 minutes
Theatrical release: 11/13/1991, DVD release: 1/1/2004
MPAA Rating: G
Run time: 90 minutes
Theatrical release: 11/13/1991, DVD release: 1/1/2004
MPAA Rating: G
Our Members Say
See all 20 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title on for age 4 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
- My highlights are:
So so movie - great in the beginning
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I rate this title off for age 17 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Negative role models
Terrible message to send to our girls
This movie sends a terrible message to our girls. All too often we see women isolated from loved ones by their abusers, thinking if they can just love him enough, he will change into a prince. This movie encourages those incorrect beliefs. The Beast isolates and abuses Belle, but when she learns to love him, he changes into a prince. Makes me sick to think my little girl could buy into this. I gave it two stars though, because the music is fantastic, and the movie is well done. Belle was a great role model up until she succumbed to Stockholm syndrom.
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I rate this title iffy for age 5 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
- Negative role models
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
a great disney movie... but only for mature 5 year olds!
This disney movie is great and will target kids attention but i would suggest it for 5+ but if your child is 5 make sure they are a mature viewer and are ready to handle some pritty frightening and intense scenes.
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I rate this title iffy for age 5 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
great
Know this is one of my favorite disney movies!!!! It's fun and entertaining but just bare in mind it is more scary,sad and more vilont then most disney movies.
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I rate this title iffy for age 4 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Educational
- Good role models
Not too good for toddlers, but wonderful story
I love the part when beast turns back into a human again. That's so... romantic? The story is wonderful, though when Belle gets locked up, and the Beast has to save her, the guy who locked Belle up (I don't remember his name) Is bad. It's a little boring at the beginning.
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I rate this title iffy for age 5 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
a little much for a five year old.
this movie is great but Geston FLIRTS way to much with Bell and tries to fource her into marriing him. and the beast get angry A LOT. and there are a lot of intence sences. A little bit much for SOME 5 year olds to be seing.
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I rate this title iffy for age 5 and give it
Love this movie
It deserved the "Best Picture" nomination. I'd also like to add the Broadway play is superb as well!
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I rate this title on for age 3 and give it
- My highlights are:
love it even my nice who is 3 loved it.
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I rate this title on for age 3 and give it
good! Not inapropriate at all!
I loved it! It was very good. I don't understand why so many people think it's inapropriate. As a parent you will have to expose your child a little more each time as they get older. Now I'm not saying to show them sweeney todd or night at the roxbury, but you have to know that not every movie will not be happy bunnies dancing around! but still a very good movie with good roll models.
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I rate this title iffy for age 5 and give it
Good, but may frighten children
Well, I definitely think younger kids would enjoy this movie, but beware, parents, because they can become frightened when the Beast bursts out in rage toward Belle and some others. There are some other scenes that may frighten your child so watch out for those.
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I rate this title pause for age 6 and give it
it's a little embarrasing to confess this but: this movie really scared me when I watched it when I was about 5,and still scares me NOW. I've seen a lot of horror movies (the omen,the ring,the ring 2, the grudge,the grudge 2,halloween,prom night,the unborn,mirrors,the eye...) but this movie really scares me. ;)
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I rate this title on for age 4 and give it
A Stunningly Beautiful Film!
This is an A+ movie. The music, characters, and story are all brilliant. The voice talents are perfect, and the animation is spectacular. I really can't lavish enough praise on this film. The Prince had no love in his heart. For this, the Enchantress turned him into a beast. He has until the last petal drops from an enchanted rose to give and receive love, or he will remain a beast forever. Later, a beauty named Belle enters the bitter Beast's castle looking for her father, who Beast is holding captive. She exchanges her life as a prisoner for her father's, but soon, she begins to change the Beast and they fall in love. Simple premise, right? Yet it couldn't have been executed more perfectly. This is a great movie for families. Kids will love the castle servants, turned into household objects, and adults will appreciate the subtle humor between Jerry Orbach as Lumiere the candlestick and David Ogden Steirs as Cogsworth the clock. The message is moving, the songs catchy and fun. There’s no objectionable content at all. Perfect movie for families. The only animated film to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. It deserved to win.
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
daddy lond legs 11 years old!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
awesome movie you gotta see it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
Great Family Movie. I Cried Dureing The Sad Bit & Sang During The Songs.
This film is a classic that every family should watch. I saw this movie when it first came out in theaters and loved it (saw it again when it was released in IMAX and experienced the same joy I did when I saw it the first time). Terrific fun. The messages are positive and appropriate for all ages. The violence is minimal and non-graphic (I wouldn't recommend it to kids under two years of age, as they may find it scary). The heroine, Belle, is my favorite movie heroine of all time. I love the special features on the Special Platinum Edition DVD, which include two trailers, a making-of documentary, original music videos and more. It's a castle full of treasure. The film's main message, "Beauty is found within," still resonates with me and it is a universal truth. Rated G.
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
LOVE IT EVEN NOW!
Every time I go through all of my old Disney VHS tapes, I ALWAYS watch Beauty and the Beast. Even at 15, I love it. It has great tunes that little kids will obviously be singing for days afterwards because they're just that catchy. And Lumiere and that clock guy are hilarious, especially to a little kid.
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
Scared me for a very short time
Great movie, but it's kinda freaky for a 4 year old.
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
Decent story, but may scare younger children
I recently let my four year old daughter watch this movie. We'd read the story many times, so she was familiar with it and anxious to see the film. That said, the early scenes when the beast is angry and yells scared her a bit. I had to reassure her that the beast was really a good guy and he just needed to work on his temper. Once we got through that part, she was fine and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the film. She giggled outloud at the enchanted objects, especially Mrs. Potts and Chip the teacup. And she really liked and connected with the "beauty is inside" message. She was unfazed by the violent fight Gaston and the Beast have on the rooftop, but some younger children may find it unsettling. I'd recommend this film overall, but if your child under 4, I strongly suggest watching it with them to reassure them if the opening or closing scenes scare them.
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
Be careful..
To most this looks like an innocent movie. It is not that simple. The message my little girl gets is that Belle can fix the angry beast. Well, I work with victims of sexual assault and domestic violence and for me.. that theme is a bit over the top. The movie does have good points, and yes not judging a book by its cover is one of them. Please, just watch it with your children. There are many scenes that Belle is abused verbally, but it is disguised as "oh, poor Beast". No. Also the candle "flirts" with the broomstick as she's saying "no", good message? I think not. I do like the movie, but I do hope that parents are watching it with children to explain further more than simply applauding Belle, tell them it also would have been fine for Belle to leave the beast when he was unkind. She did not have to stay and "fix" him. Just please, do not take this as me hating the movie or being over-sensitive, but I see women like Belle fixing their Beasts daily and it is almost horrifying to see a movie centered around a popular heroine for young girls doing the same thing. Thanks and again.. I like the movie and some of its many messages, but again I can't stress enough to watch this WITH your children.
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
Amazing Loving Classic
This movie is so wonderful in every single way. It is one of Disney's sweeter flicks if not the sweetest, with violins playing in every scene possible and cute French based music like "Belle", "Be Our Guest", and many others. I think this movie is so amazing. The graphics in the castle, the music in the town, you name it, BATB has it to offer. My favorite songs are "Something There" and "Belle" because they're so memorable but not super hyper crazy like we see today. Alan Menken is a genius! The only thing is that children under 3 should not watch this if they get scared easily because even me (as a 13 year old!) shivers when Beast roars. It brings a very positive saying that don't judge people before you get to know them.
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Ratings at a Glance
| 67% | of parents say it's too violent |
| 33% | of parents say it gives kids positive messages |
| 33% | of parents don't feel there are good role models |
| 33% | of parents don't think the messages are positive |
| 33% | of parents say the sexual behavior isn't age appropriate |
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