Monster High: 13 Wishes
By Tracy Moore,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Monster dolls teach lessons but dress provocatively.
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Monster High: 13 Wishes
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What's the Story?
Howleen (America Young) has just started a new year at Monster High, and she and friends Clawdeen (Celeste Henderson), Dracolaura, Abbey (Erin Fitzgerald), and others all have big wishes for the year. When Howleen gets her hands on a genie, she discovers she has thirteen wishes to be granted. Soon everyone is getting what they've always wanted, but Howleen begins to learn that getting what you want isn't always all it's cracked up to be.
Is It Any Good?
MONSTER HIGH: 13 WISHES is a visual feast and a clever idea. For the kind of tweens who prefer campy horror to Barbie dolls, these goth-lite characters with fangs, fur, bandages, and bolts are a fun twist on the typical fare. But that same visual feast may create a problem for parents. Here, high school teenagers are dressed for more than a costume party -- the skimpy skirts, high heels, and heavy makeup are needlessly over the top. Plus, there's a considerable bounty of merchandise to contend with in the form of dolls, books, and accessories, so viewers beware. That said, there are nice messages about the perils of popularity, greed, jealousy, and all the usual high school stuff and fun puns to boot, if the packaging isn't too daunting.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about popularity. Does the movie show popularity accurately? Why, or why not?
What happens after the girls get their wishes? What do you think would happen if you got all your wishes? What would they be? What could they affect?
Do these girls dress like girls in your school? What do you think of how the girls dress in the movie, and how does that affect our view of their personalities?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: October 8, 2013
- Cast: Erin Fitzgerald, Missi Hale, Celeste Henderson
- Director: Steve Sacks
- Studio: Universal Studios
- Genre: Family and Kids
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Friendship, High School, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- Run time: 74 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: April 6, 2023
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