Common Sense Media Review
By Tom Cassidy
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Off-target animated insect adventure has killing, threat.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Brightheart: Let Your Light Shine
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In BRIGHTHEART: LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE, a bug village's famous firefly becomes jealous of a brighter new arrival in the form of a robot called Aurora (voiced by Daisy Hamilton). Determined to beat Aurora, Brightheart (Justine Huxley) joins forces with her former enemies.
Is It Any Good?
For the most part, this animated adventure for younger kids merrily zips along as we learn about the bug village where the titular character lives. The language and threat level of Brightheart: Let Your Light Shine all appears to be appropriate for its target age group. And then the killing happens. Central to this change in tone is a bug lantern, which first appears when an enemy tries to trick Brightheart into touching it and dying. She avoids that fate but quickly sets up a trap in which a group of crickets do get fried.
When -- in a few scenes later -- Brightheart and her crew decide to save another group of enemies, because "they are not killers," it's difficult to know if they're deliberately being contradictory or if they've simply forgotten what happened earlier. The English language voice cast is good, the animation is bright and attractive, and the message of understanding is positive. It's just let down by the killings, which isn't a phrase best suited to a movie aimed at young kids.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the level of violence in Brightheart: Let Your Light Shine. Did it feel appropriate for a movie like this? Why, or why not? What's the impact of media violence on kids?
Did you like Brightheart as a character? Why, or why not? Did she have any positive character strengths. If so, what were they?
Discuss what kind of feelings Brightheart had when Aurora arrived. Why do you think she became cross and mean? Have you ever felt jealous of anyone? What are some good ways to deal with those feelings?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : January 12, 2021
- Cast : Justine Huxley , Daisy Hamilton , Carrie Jo Crosby
- Director : Weifeng Deng
- Studio : Vertical Entertainment
- Genre : Family and Kids
- Topics : Animals ( Bugs ) , Robots
- Run time : 85 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate