Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

The villains who live in a land called "Vulgaria" are bumbling Germanic stereotypes, most of them elderly, snobbish White men with pointy noses and creepy costumes. The cast is almost entirely White, and fat characters are villains. Female character Truly Scrumptious is smart and practical and has an independent, no-nonsense approach to life.

All of the action is exaggerated and cartoonish; no one is injured or killed. A couple of minor car crashes. One car catches on fire. An experiment with a rocket ends when it sparks and catches fire, briefly putting its inventor at risk. In a fantasy story-within-a-story, the Potts and friends end up in danger in a fictional kingdom. Many pratfalls, pirate attacks, a baroness is shot into the sky (and retrieved by cannon shots letting the air out of her billowing skirt). A character in his outhouse-like hideaway is carried away by a zeppelin. Dynamite explosions. There's a creepy Child Catcher who uses candy to lure children into cages, as well as two villains who try lots of cartoon measures to capture the Potts family (one has a hook), and a long comic battle between soldiers and the heroes, who fight alongside an army of children.

A woman dances in old-fashioned lingerie. Two characters kiss.

One use of "ass."

A party scene features characters smoking cigarettes and drinking.

Parents need to know that Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a classic family adventure film. During some scenes, the main characters and others are in jeopardy, and fantasy sequences include comic pratfalls. There's also exaggerated action: A character in his outhouse-like hideaway gets carried away by a zeppelin, a baroness is shot into the sky (and retrieved by cannon shots letting the air out of her billowing skirt). Villains include the clownish variety with twirling mustaches, one of whom wields a hook, and a very creepy Child Catcher who uses candy to lure children into cages. Younger children may find the images scary; older kids might understand the intent and could find it funny. A woman dances in her old-fashioned lingerie, and two characters kiss. There's an entire kingdom made up of villainous Germanic stereotypes (elderly snobbish White men) who aren't as menacing as they are bumbling. The film has positive messages about how there's beauty and worth to be found in everyone, and that even failure can be a positive experience if you learn from your mistakes. Themes and character strengths on display include curiosity and perseverance.

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