 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
- Review Date: May 11, 2005
- G
- Genre: Family and Kids
- 1968
Common Sense Media says
A fantastical car story custom made for kids.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that while there are scenes in this film in which the Potts family members and others are in jeopardy, they are fantasy sequences filled with comic pratfalls, exaggerated action (Grandpa, in his outhouse-like hideaway carried away by a zeppelin; a baroness shot into the sky and retrieved by canon shots letting the air out of her billowing skirt), and arch clown-like villains with twirling mustaches, and one even wielding a hook. Only the very youngest or most apprehensive children may find the images scary; other kids will understand the intent and likely find it funny. There is an entire kingdom made up of buffoonish Germanic stereotypes who are more bumbling than menacing.
What's the story?
Based loosely on the novel by Ian Fleming of James Bond fame, the fantasy-musical CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG gets rolling when Caractacus Potts (Dick Van Dyke), an eccentric inventor with barely enough money to keep a roof over his two kids' heads, buys a beat-up motorcar for them and transforms it into a dream machine that can fly, float, and, it seems, even think for itself. A day at the seashore with the car called Chitty Chitty Bang Bang spawns an elaborate adventure in Vulgaria as the Potts clan and candy heiress Truly Scrumptious (Sally Ann Howes) try to rescue Grandpa Potts from his kidnappers, Baron and Baroness Bomburst. On the adventure, an exceedingly creepy child catcher entices the young Jeremy and Jemima Potts with lollipops, Caractacus and Truly pose as life-size dolls at the Baron's birthday party, and the country's imprisoned children stage a revolt.
Is it any good?
After writing the music for the extraordinary Mary Poppins, brothers Richard and Robert Sherman wrote the music for this film (their first non-Disney musical). Roald Dahl, author of many children's stories including James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, was co-writer of Chitty, which blends fantasy and adventure in a whimsical movie musical that has been captivating children for decades.
Although the songs aren't quite as memorable as in Mary Poppins, the story may leave even more of an impression on kids than the Disney hallmark and excite them to a greater degree. It's not a perfectly cut film, but it's the stuff of the children's wildest fantasies. Young viewers may drift to sleep after the climax, as the love story between Caractacus and Truly concludes, but they'll have a feast of visions to dream of for years to come. For DVD extras that really add value, get the Special Edition, which was made with Van Dyke's involvement and includes interviews, games, and many other fun features.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about which part of the story "really happened" and which was make believe.
What would you do with a car like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang? What kinds of things would you like to invent?
For older kids: Why were the people of Vulgaria depicted as fools? How do real-life political events affect movies? Can you imagine looking back at today's movies and recognizing how politics influenced them?
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Kid, 12 years old
April 9, 2008
AGE
I lost six brain cells watching this!
I really don't like it. BUT IT WAS SOOOOOOOO BAD. The shooting part was just... UNBELIVALBLE.I can't belive th ey will put it in there. I'd say NOT RIGHT FOR kids.
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Kid, 12 years old
July 11, 2010
AGE
Chitty chitty Bang bang.....
casts an old fashioned family (no mother) their father is an inventor who creates a odd not something you see everyday that makes a chitty chitty bang bang sound everytime you start it type of vehicle and meets this lady who's the daughter of a guy who owns a candy factory the father has a candy that makes a tooting sound.
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AGE
The "Child Catcher" is WAY to scary for 3-5 year olds
I vaguely remembered this from my childhood and rented it to watch with my 3 and 5 year olds. It was HORRIBLE. The first half of the movie was fine, but the second half was WAY to scary for them. Even though I fast forwarded through most of the second half, and then finally just skipped to the last chapter to see the ending, my 5 year old kept asking "why did the kid catcher guy have lollipops? why did he put the kids in the cage? What was he going to do to the kids?" I took it as an opportunity to talk about strangers, but he was crying and scared to go to sleep after the movie. There was also a lot of slapstick violence, shooting canons at people, and as I was fast forwarding, I caught some women dancing in "sexy" clothing. Absolutely horrible film. There was also some mildly boring parts such as the "what a lovely lonely man" song. Now I know why I only vaguely remember this one- my mom probably saw it once and that was it for us watching it. We are going to stick to Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music - those are the classics I really remember. And the music is much better in those movies too.
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AGE
it's ok
its good. some people hate on this one scene with the baron and queen, who are a married couple, dance around sing ing because of the queen's dress. you might a well hate on a leotard and tutu.
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AGE
Truly Scrumptious!
The Child Catcher is mildly frightenig , but other than him this is a wonderful family film for all! It' s music is very catchy, and charcters are very loveable. In several scenes Baron Bomburst attempts to kill his wife. (she hillariously survives much to his dismay)
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AGE
6 yo still scared
My 4 and 6 year olds were scared by the kid catcher and broke down in tears. We couldn't finish the movie! My kids are sensitive and don't watch much TV, but I thought they'd have been ok with this.
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AGE
What's not to love?
We love it. What's not to love? It's a fun, whimsical adventure.
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AGE
Old Fashioned Fun
One of my favorites from childhood- my daughter loves the use of imagination and creativity the characters display.
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AGE
wonderful fun
Our 4 year old loves this movie! She started watching it 6 months ago. We would play it up until the intermission and then turn it off. We thought the kid catcher might be too scary. Just this week we let her see the whole thing.... She was fine and really loved the dancing and songs in the second half.
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AGE
it is my 6 year old sisters second favorite movie (after hannah montana of course) she had some questions as we watched the second half of the movie, she was a little nervous, but overall she was fine. she thought the first part was a bit boring though...
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| Topics: | cars and trucks, magic and fantasy, adventures, book characters |
| Studio: | MGM/UA |
| Director: | Ken Hughes |
| Cast: | Dick Van Dyke, Lionel Jeffries, Sally Ann Howes |
| Genre: | Family and Kids |
| Run time: | 144 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | December 18, 1968 |
| DVD release date: | November 25, 2003 |
| MPAA rating: | G |
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