Parents' Guide to Heidi: Rescue of the Lynx

Movie NR 2025 79 minutes
Heidi — The Rescue of the Lynx movie poster: Heidi smiles and touches heads with a young lynx cub

Common Sense Media Review

Kat Halstead By Kat Halstead , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 6+

Sweet animated adventure offers positive messages.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 6+?

Any Positive Content?

  • Heidi — The Rescue of the Lynx: Peter, Heidi, and Grandpa walk together on a mountain path with a dog and lynx cub alongside them
  • Heidi — The Rescue of the Lynx: Peter and Heidi lay together in the grass, a baby goat and lynx with them
  • Heidi — The Rescue of the Lynx: A wide-eyed lynx cub is shown in close-up

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What's the Story?

In HEIDI: RESCUE OF THE LYNX, Heidi (voiced by Lilly Graffam) lives a happy life with her grandpa (Tom Zahner) in the mountains. When a businessman from the city (Marcus Sauermann) arrives at the local village with plans to build a saw mill and vows to rid the area of a family of lynxes, Heidi must enlist the help of her friends—both human and animal—to rescue the lynxes and stop him from ruining their beautiful mountain home.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say : Not yet rated
Kids say : Not yet rated

While stories of Heidi have been told in many forms for over a century, this 2025 film uses cute wide-eyed animation to bring the characters to vibrant life. In Heidi: Rescue of the Lynx, there's a focus on empathy and respecting nature, and gentle messages are taught about friendship and standing up for what's right. It helps that the lynx cub, Pepper, at the center of the story is Disney-level adorable, its lifelike purrs and endless eyelash flutters making it near impossible to argue with Heidi's determination to come to its aid. Heading off on an adventure with her long-suffering friend Peter (voiced by Leonardo Lucero), the two do put themselves in danger, but it's fleeting, and Heidi apologizes to her grandpa for causing him worry. There are a few similarly heartwarming/wrenching scenes, and even the hardest nuts will struggle not to crack at Heidi and Pepper's inevitable goodbye. But this is generally a lively and likable movie with a mix of traditional values and more modern aesthetics that will appeal to younger kids and families watching together.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what Heidi: Rescue of the Lynx teaches about appreciating and respecting nature. Why was it important for Heidi to let go of Pepper once he was healed?

  • Characters show curiosity, courage, empathy, perseverance, and teamwork. Why are these important character strengths? Can you think of times you've used any of them in your own life?

  • The movie is based on a character who was first introduced in a book by Johanna Spyri in 1880 and has since gone on to inspire numerous books, TV shows, and films. Did you know any of the stories beforehand? How did this movie compare? Did it make you want to experience other stories with Heidi at the center?

Movie Details

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Heidi — The Rescue of the Lynx movie poster: Heidi smiles and touches heads with a young lynx cub

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