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Parents' Guide to

All Creatures Big and Small

By Grace Montgomery, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 7+

Weird Noah's ark tale has dark themes, lots of suspense.

Movie G 2015 80 minutes
All Creatures Big and Small Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 4+

Based on 13 parent reviews

zag5
zag5 Adult
June 16, 2021
age 6+
Apersonthatdoesstuff ..
Apersonthatdoesstuff .. Parent
March 8, 2021
age 3+

Good

Violence 1/5 Sex 0/5 Language 0/5 Drinking/Drugs/Smoking 0/5
See all 13 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Word begins to spread that a huge flood is coming, so Nestrians Dave and his son Finny head to the ark to be saved with the other animals. Unfortunately, Nestrians doesn't make the cut, and the duo are kicked off. With a little involuntary help from Grymps Hazel and Leah, who are determined only to look after themselves, father and son board the ark and are ready to be saved. But when Finny and Leah fall off, they must work together to get back to the boat and stay safe from two trailing griffins who are determined to make them their next meal while their parents try to turn the ark around.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (13 ):
Kids say (2 ):

ALL CREATURES BIG AND SMALL is a weird film that mostly manages to leave a bad taste in your mouth. Many of the characters are unlikable (such as the Grymps), and the likable ones are so one-dimensional they get old fast (such as Finny). There also are a lot of strange details that at the very least are in poor taste (the character named "Obesey") and at most are disturbing (Dave puppeteering the unconscious king like a marionette). And though the end message is that everyone has a place, it's mostly lost in the plot points that emphasize discrimination and exclusion. Kids may love some of the imaginary animals, but with so many other fun animal and fantasy movies out there, this is one you can definitely skip.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the Noah's ark story. Do you know it? How is All Creatures Big and Small different from the traditional story? How is it the same?

  • Hazel tells her daughter Leah that Grymps need to look out for themselves to survive. How did that lesson backfire on Leah? Why do you think it was important for her to learn to trust Finny and others?

  • Why do you think the filmmakers chose to call a character "Obesey"? Do you think it's a funny name? Why, or why not?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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