Parents' Guide to Lassie: A New Adventure

Movie NR 2024 91 minutes
Lassie -- A New Adventure: Lassie the dog runs through a field with three children behind her

Common Sense Media Review

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

age 8+

Canine adventure has positive messages, language, threat.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 8+?

Any Positive Content?

  • Lassie -- A New Adventure: Lassie the dog looks up at Nico Marischka in the doorway to a country cottage
  • Lassie -- A New Adventure: Nico Marischka crouches down to pet and talk to Lassie the dog in the countryside
  • Lassie -- A New Adventure: A small dog sniffs Lassie the dog's fur outside in a garden, a soccer ball to the side

Parent and Kid Reviews

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What's the Story?

In LASSIE: A NEW ADVENTURE, Flo (Nico Marischka) and his dog Lassie travel to spend the summer at Aunt Cosma's (Katharina Schüttler), alongside her foster children Kleo (Anna Lucia Gualano) and Henry (Pelle Staacken), and her dog Pippa. When local dogs start to disappear, including Pippa, Lassie brings the kids together to investigate the mystery. But can they find the missing hounds before it's too late?

Is It Any Good?

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

There's a classic innocence to the mythology of Lassie, having grown from a short story published in 1938 to include numerous movies, sequels, and spinoffs packed full of gentle warmth and whimsy. This most recent outing for the beloved canine, Lassie: A New Adventure, sees the crime-solving collie journey to the picturesque Italian countryside hot on the heels of a hapless couple of dognappers. As usual, Lassie proves herself smarter than pretty much all the humans around her—child or adult—and kids set off on adventures that should be dangerous, but inside the picture-book reality feel more like harmless frolics. There are times when children are left at home alone, leave home without permission, and go off chasing criminals. But the level of threat stays relatively low and we're never in any doubt that Lassie will save the day. It's sweet, family fun that fits within the canon but doesn't make any great impact. The longevity of the franchise may help bring generations together, with something for everyone from young kids to grandparents, harking back to a simpler time before the grand special effects and slick, knowing dialogue of most modern fare.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Lassie: A New Adventure and how it fits into the franchise. Have you seen any of the other movies? Did you know much about Lassie before you watched the film? What do you think appeals about a smart dog that teams up with kids to solve mysteries? Can you think of other films where animals and humans work together?

  • In some scenes, kids put themselves in dangerous situations. Did any stand out to you? How might they have dealt with the challenges in safer ways?

  • Characters showed perseverance, teamwork, and communication. How did these help them solve the mystery? Why are they important character strengths? Can you think of times in your life when you've used these traits?

Movie Details

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Lassie -- A New Adventure: Lassie the dog runs through a field with three children behind her

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