Sophie and Sheba

There are some scary animal scenes with a panther where a character is badly scratched, and some mild peril, though nothing graphic or bloody. A panther who expresses aggression is put down, but only a shot is heard in the distance. In a later scene, an elephant appears to be whipped a few times, though no contact between the whip and animal is actually shown. A character shown to be somewhat disturbed aims a gun at an animal but does not shoot.

A teen boy and girl flirt with friendly banter in one scene. In another, they dance together and then embrace. In two other scenes, they kiss briefly.

In a few scenes, an animal trainer refers to an animal as "stupid" and "dumb."

Parents need to know that Sophie and Sheba is a circus movie, a premise that may offend families with animal rights concerns. An animal who expresses aggression is put down (a shot is heard in the distance), and one scene shows a man appear to be whipping an elephant, though no contact between the whip and animal is actually shown. A character references a spouse who died in an accident with an elephant. However, though the film does not explicitly condemn circuses (or zoos, which factor in briefly), it shows support for the notion that even the most loving zoo or circus setting cannot trump the benefit of a wild animal's natural habitat.

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