Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Borget
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Four-part movie with dark themes, magical teenage drama.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Sabrina: Magic of the Red Rose
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In SABRINA: MAGIC OF THE RED ROSE, Sabrina the teenage witch (voiced by Ashley Tisdale) battles monster roses, has a bad date with a snobby warlock named Shinji (James Higuchi), saves a baby dragon, and rescues her best friend after they're both possessed by sprites. In each of the storylines in this collection of animated tales, Sabrina finds herself in tricky situations where she needs to use her clever thinking, magical skills, and sometimes teamwork to make things right.
Is It Any Good?
Earlier versions of this character have been charming, but this movie was pieced together using four episodes from the Sabrina: Secrets of a Teenage Witch series, which is darker and more devious. Even without prior knowledge of the series, viewers can quickly catch on to the obnoxious villains determined to work against Sabrina. But the villains aren't the only characters who make mistakes. Sabrina herself seems more concerned about her crush than problem solving. And when events fall back into place at the end, there's usually a lack of consequence for the actions that put them there. Although, spoiler alert!, in one instance, Shinji faces the consequence for stealing a baby dragon: His mother abandons him with the mother dragon.
Though the show is exciting and colorful and offers some name recognition, it deserves careful consideration for children.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether consequences fit the actions in Sabrina: Magic of the Red Rose. Does Sabrina learn from her mistakes? How could she have handled each situation better? What would you have done if you were in a similar predicament? How might things have turned out differently if the characters were in the real world?
Have you seen any of the other Sabrina shows? How does this compare? Did you notice the difference in the animation style? Do you prefer one over the other?
Sabrina goes to school in both the witch world and in the human world. Aside from magic, what differences do you notice about the way the characters act and treat Sabrina in each realm? Where would you rather live and why?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : January 6, 2015
- Cast : Ashley Tisdale , Tabitha St. Germain , Kathleen Barr
- Director : Trevor Wall
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : HBO Max
- Genre : Family and Kids
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic )
- Run time : 88 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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