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Parents' Guide to

Postman Pat: The Movie

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Cute British adventure has positive messages, scary robots.

Movie NR 2014 88 minutes
Postman Pat: The Movie Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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age 6+

Based on 12 parent reviews

Sarah Uk
Sarah Uk Parent of 2 and 5-year-old
September 16, 2022
age 8+

Triggered massive meltdown for 5 year old

Way way too violent for pre-schoolers. Evil robots take over the world, Postman Pat’s friends and family all turn against him. The “peril” goes on far too long. My 5 year old was really upset we had to turn it off and she had a massive melt down. She’s never had a meltdown before. Avoid.

This title has:

Too much violence
Lebron12James3
Lebron12James3 Parent
January 8, 2022
age 2+

Dull, repetitive animated songs for preschoolers.

There's simply nothing to recommend about this by-the-numbers, poorly animated, repetitive, and unoriginal effort. The dull, canned music is just the right accompaniment for the abysmal animation, the monotonous dance moves (10 seconds of motion, repeat and repeat again for up to five minutes). When such inventive children's music is available on CD, online, and elsewhere, opportunities abound for family-friendly, interactive song and dance. Dance! is not one of them. What a way to separate the parent-consumer from his or her hard-earned dollar!
See all 12 parent reviews

What's the Story?

POSTMAN PAT: THE MOVIE follows the lovable Pat Clifton (voiced by Stephen Mangan) on a feature-length adventure that takes him from his small village of Greendale to the big city of London. Pat promises his wife, Sara (Susan Duerden), that they'll use his annual bonus for a belated honeymoon, but his plans are foiled when budget cuts mean no bonuses for anyone. Desperate to still make Sara's dreams come true, Pat tries out for the reality talent show You're the One, hosted by the overly critical Simon Cowbell (Robin Atkin Downes, doing a Simon Cowell impression). As Pat faces tough singing competition from handsome singer Josh (Rupert Grint), a Draco Malfoy-esque exec uses the opportunity to release a robot postman prototype (a Pat replica) in Greendale.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (12 ):
Kids say (4 ):

Little kids familiar with the appealing Postman Pat series will enjoy spending more time with the inhabitants of the small village of Greendale. They'll have fun cheering Pat on as he competes in the You're the One competition (Pat's singing voice is Irish singer-songwriter Ronan Keating). Adults will appreciate some of the parent-friendly humor, the Cowell impression, and the performances by Grint and David Tennant, who plays Josh's fame-hungry dad/manager.

Although the computer-generated animation isn't nearly on par with big-budget animated features by Blue Sky or Pixar, Postman Pat: The Movie is still a sweet, charming story about what happens when you start prioritizing fame or efficiency above relationships and human connection, respectively. And the earnest humor makes this British import a lot of fun to watch with little ones.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how Postman Pat changes throughout the movie and why he loses sight of what he initially set out to do. What are we supposed to learn from Pat's experiences?

  • Why didn't the town like the robot postmen? How is the real Pat irreplaceable?

  • Does the movie make you more interested in the Postman Pat show?

Movie Details

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Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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