Parents' Guide to

Combat Wombat

By Tom Cassidy, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Superhero cartoon has loss, rude humor, negative body image.

Movie NR 2021 90 minutes
Combat Wombat Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

  • Combat Wombat Movie: Scene #1
  • Combat Wombat Movie: Scene #2
  • Combat Wombat Movie: Scene #3

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What's the Story?

In COMBAT WOMBAT, Maggie (voiced by Deborah Mailman) is a grief-stricken marsupial following the death of her husband. But Maggie gets a new lease of life when she becomes a crime-fighting superhero.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (3):

Themes of death and grief are handled so clumsily in this Australian animation that it takes some thinking for an adult to unpick what's happening, let alone a young kid. Don't expect a happy ending in Combat Wombat, whose plot is effectively a story about a murder all in the name of a publicity stunt. It's also dull and mean-spirited, with "jokes" made at the expense of people's appearances. The size of lead character Maggie's backside is a running gag, while a joke about characters being cute until they get glasses is cruel.

To give writer Mathew James Kinmonth some credit for his debut feature, it's just about possible to see the positives that he was trying to get across. Namely that friends can become family and can help you through the trickiest of times. But the way it's played is confusing and gives no satisfaction. Still, the title is pleasing to say out loud. More rhyming titles please, fewer depressing murder movies for kids.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how death and grief was handled in Combat Wombat. How did Maggie deal with the death of her husband? Were you expecting a happy ending? How did this animated movie compare with others you have seen that deal with similar themes? Movies to help kids deal with grief.

  • Discuss some of the "jokes" about body image in the movie. What is body image? Why might this movie promote negative attitudes toward different people?

  • Did you find any of the more scary scenes too extreme for a movie like this? Which ones in particular? What's the impact of media violence on kids?

  • Talk about what it means to be a superhero. How good a superhero was Combat Wombat?

  • The movie is set on Australia. What do you know about Australia? How many animals can you name that only live that country?

Movie Details

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