Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Short film offers positive messages; bullying, language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Release the Beast
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In RELEASE THE BEAST, Aaron (Enzo Choi) is a young boy experiencing bullying at school, behavior that follows him home via cyberbullying messages on his phone. He's working on a video game design for a contest, but he has internalized the mean voices and starts doubting his abilities. The bullying is also making him feel angry, if not full of rage. His game characters come to life to help show him all the ways he could use that rage to his benefit and "get back in the game." Will Aaron be able to take control of his emotions?
Is It Any Good?
A lot of technical work and research has gone into this short film, and there's plenty here to appreciate in terms of visuals and messaging. Release the Beast is an engaging and fast-moving animated short film with great intentions. But it feels like it's trying just a tad too hard to use young people's lingo and bring its empowerment theme home. As a result, it may be more likely to appeal to elementary-aged kids than more cynical tweens or teens, and that could make its moderate language and bullying more of an issue.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what lessons Aaron learns in Release the Beast. What would you do if you or someone you know was being bullied? The studio behind the film has educator resources available for additional support.
Do you think this film will speak to boys specifically? Why, or why not?
The director is an alum of Pixar. What did you think of the animation here? Did it remind you of anything you've seen before?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : February 3, 2026
- Cast : Enzo Choi , Corey LeVier , Erica Milsom
- Director : Erica Milsom
- Inclusion Information : Asian Movie Actor(s) , Korean Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studios : YouTube , Ryzos Studio
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Competition , Family Stories ( Moms ) , Fantasy , Robots , School , STEM
- Character Strengths : Courage
- Run time : 12 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : April 7, 2026
Did we miss something on diversity?
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