Parents need to know that this isn't a Christmas tale per se, but a winter story that revolves around unrequited love and heroic acts, with a dollop of Russian peasant repression for good measure. Mild battle scenes occur, but their stop-action animation style prevent them from being too scary. An explanation of what a Russian Cossack is may be helpful to younger children in understanding the villain. Workers in Father Time's realm are called "gypsies."

Families can talk about Jack's decision to become human. What do you think you would miss about being magical, if you were in Jack's shoes? For older kids, discuss the "ice money" that Jack provides. How could the villagers use that sort of system year-round? Also, families can try some of the crafts included in the remastered edition of the movie.