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Parents' Guide to

Alpha and Omega: The Legend of the Saw Tooth Cave

By Renee Schonfeld, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Entertaining wolf sequel has peril and some scares.

Movie NR 2014 45 minutes
Alpha and Omega: The Legend of the Saw Tooth Cave Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 7+

Based on 2 parent reviews

swink
swink Adult
March 23, 2020
age 8+

nonstop scary and otherwise boring. wish I'd skipped.

I chose this because it was short and looked fairly innocent. I wish I hadn't. It only redeemed itself in the last couple minutes. Otherwise it was just nonstop scary stuff -- let's go to the scary part of the forest! ghosts! spooky wind! run away! we're scared! -- over and over. It didn't even have any other cute plot to redeem it. Just other forest animals being nasty, sort of inexplicably. I was often confused by the plot. This just isn't a good movie. Since we started it, we hung on til the end in hopes it would all work out, and it kind of did. But the mystery, the story, left me scractching my head completely. Who writes a kids movie about (spoiler alert!) a wolf who gets shunned by her pack because she's born blind, and her mom dies trying to save her from being killed by the pack leader, and then some other wolves find her and take her back to the original pack to find her mom again (who's dead, btw!), but they menace her again -- that's some sick sh&t! One of my almost seven year olds kind of liked it because dogs are his favorite animal and the wolves were kind of like dogs. The other was pretty scared and not too entertained by it.
Pedro H.
Pedro H. Parent
September 8, 2016
age 5+

Digital perfection

What a great movie it had the right amount of spooky the right amount of twist and a lot of good
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In ALPHA AND OMEGA: THE LEGEND OF THE SAW TOOTH CAVE, Runt, the littlest Omega wolf of all, seems to be the most high-spirited, the most adventurous, and the most confident. In fact, his caring parents are worried that he won't recognize a truly perilous situation when he sees it. And they may be right. Runt insists that the legendary "shadowy forest" isn't really scary and that the myths about the Saw Tooth Cave aren't true. When he takes it upon himself to investigate and prove his point, he finds himself in a very frightening place -- but not in the way that everyone imagined. Instead of running into danger, Runt meets the fragile Daria, an outcast wolf who truly deserves his help. Runt enlists the assistance of his brother and sister, and, along with a surprising ghost and a vigilant porcupine, the three pups set out to make things right.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (3 ):

This entertaining fourth DVD in the series is almost entirely character-driven, both in the tale that's told and as the wholesome origin of the laughs that emerge. The original Alpha and Omega, a 3-D feature film released in 2010, relied on sly sexual innuendo for much of its humor; some found this objectionable for the target audience. The creators of the franchise have certainly gotten the message. Porcupines have never been so intriguing. The now-familiar wolf pack and the other critters in their world reflect the emotions and behaviors of all creatures. Kids will identify with Runt, Claudette, and Stinky and recognize the grown-ups who try hard to raise them well. Still, kids who are not yet able to grasp the concept of cartoon danger might find this film too dark or scary.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Kate and Humphrey as parents who were having a hard time allowing their pups to grow up. How did Runt and the others convince them that they could be trusted?

  • Why do you think that Daria's original pack did not accept her? What were they afraid of? How are human families different?

  • What is an "alpha" wolf? Did you know that some experts think that there are actually no "alpha" or "omega" wolves? Find out about the different views of the hierarchy of a wolf pack.

Movie Details

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