Parents' Guide to

Animal Crackers

By Renee Longstreet, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Fantastical tale has wacky characters, music, cartoon peril.

Movie PG 2020 105 minutes
Animal Crackers Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 10+

Based on 14 parent reviews

Ladybexxa
Ladybexxa Adult
August 23, 2020
age 16+

Disappointing

I was so looking forward to this movie after watching the trailer, it looked cute and whimsical but right off the bat I had a weird feeling and we didn’t get very far into it before we decided to turn it off. There is a ton of over sexualization of characters and lots of creepy male characters. I think the storylines concept is great but the execution of it was horrible. Lots of crude language, cleavage and butt shots, someone being kissed when they didn’t want to be kissed and that’s just the beginning of the movie, I haven’t finished it nor do I have any desire to. I have no idea why this is considered appropriate for young children. It’s garbage.

This title has:

Too much sex
3 people found this helpful.
Raritysfans
Raritysfans Adult
November 22, 2020
age 5+

Animal Vegetable Mineral

Digital modern version of Sword in the Stone with a family saving a circus. This movie was delayed several times, nearly canceled and not available on Amazon like the other animal CGI cartoon Duck Duck Goose. This movie stars Tara Strong, Danny DeVito and Emily Blunt that all had been VA´s in Friendship is Magic. Hilarious chases, lots of out of context and cartoony CGI. You can always talk with Animal Crackers on their Youtube channel. In consumerism of course breakfast.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much consumerism
2 people found this helpful.
See all 14 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Ownership of a circus with magical animals is at the heart of story in ANIMAL CRACKERS. Decades earlier, the circus was owned by two brothers, Buffalo Bob (voiced by James Arnold Taylor) and Horatio P. Huntington (Ian McKellen), who is still angry and jealous about their breakup over the love of Talia (Tara Strong), the daughter of Esmerelda (Harvey Fierstein), the circus fortune teller. Horatio returns, after fuming for years, looking for the secret of the circus animals' magic. His search leads to a disastrous fire in which Bob and Talia are killed. Horatio's attempts to take the circus back in the face of anger of the performers, led by Chesterfield The Clown (Danny DeVito), are rejected. Bob's nephew Owen (John Krasinksi) and his wife Zoe (Emily Blunt), who are Bob's heirs and have always loved the circus, join the fray and the twisty-turny battle for the big top, with literal "animal crackers" in the main ring, begins in earnest.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (14):
Kids say (5):

An ambitious effort with a stellar cast and quirky characters may just be too much of a good thing; keeping up with the crazy plot and introduction of new faces is a full-time job. John Krasinski alone appears as countless creatures, all of whom at least have bushy blue eyebrows so they're recognizable as "Owen." Working with a low budget and a busy script, certain folks stand out even among such a talented cast list: Raven-Symone and Patrick Warburton are terrific, and Ian McKellan chews the CGI scenery with gusto. The 14-song soundtrack (mostly original) is just okay. Animal Crackers is fun, but don't look away as it all happens fast.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the cartoon action in Animal Crackers. Do you think the fact that the violence is comic makes a difference for kids? How about little kids? How does your family decide when they are ready to see slapstick action? Why is it important to be aware of the impact of media violence on kids?

  • It took a long time before Owen was able to take a stand against Zoey's dad, Mr. Woodley (voiced by Wallace Shawn). What made him finally find his courage? Why is it important to stand up to bullies? What positive qualities does it take?

  • If you had a box of magical animal crackers, which animal would you pick? Why? What makes that animal "right" for you? Draw a picture of the animal you chose.

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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