Parents' Guide to

Spark: A Space Tail

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Sci-fi adventure isn't too scary but has lots of clichés.

Movie PG 2017 90 minutes
Spark: A Space Tail 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 4 parent reviews

papapru
papapru Parent of 5-year-old
July 5, 2022
age 6+

Cross dressing villain?!

Our 5yr old Grandson has watched this movie over and over and seems to really enjoy it. I'm surprised the reviews didn't mention the cross dressing villain that is presented. Not sure why that needs to be in a kids movie?
1 person found this helpful.
Nesssyb
Nesssyb Adult
April 17, 2021
age 9+

Embarrassing

Poor jabs/jokes. Stereotypes everywhere that are embarrassing and shameful. Predictable and unoriginal, it’s a shame as the concept is there it has just been poorly executed with more animated violence than I felt comfortable sitting through with my 9 & 10 year old.

This title has:

Too much violence
See all 4 parent reviews

What's the Story?

SPARK: A SPACE TAIL starts off with a sad prologue about how evil space monkey Zhong (voiced by A.C. Peterson) usurped his brother by trapping an ancient space beast called the Kracken, which destroyed part of the kingdom of Bana by sucking it into a black hole. Thirteen years later, one of that long-ago catastrophe's sole survivors, Spark (Jace Norman), turns 13 on an abandoned offshoot of Bana that's used for trash disposal. Spark lives with two guardians, a fox pilot named Vix (Jessica Biel) and a pig mechanic/engineer named Chunk (Rob deLeeuw). Spark wants to accompany Vix and Chunk on their mysterious missions to Bana, but they think he's too young. Trying to prove he's ready, Spark intercepts a secret plea to smuggle something off of Zhong's space warship, but he ends up making matters much worse. With Vix and Chunk's help, Spark must lead a group of allies to defeat Zhong if Bana is to have any chance at peace.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4):
Kids say (2):

Although kids will surely enjoy this harmless space adventure, adults will likely be bored, distracted by the many borrowed elements from far better stories about young heroes. Every aspect of Spark: A Space Tail is reminiscent of another movie. There's Spark's hidden identity and special mark, a la Harry Potter, as well as Zhong's inadequacy compared to his deceased brother, whose death he caused (think Scar from The Lion King). And there's a moment when Spark communicates with his dead father that seems straight out of Star Wars (or Harry Potter or The Lion King). Basically, everything here is something older viewers have seen before, likely in a movie that was far more memorable.

On the bright side, Spark: A Space Tail does have positive messages about teamwork and not doing something before you think about the possible consequences. It also conveys the empowering idea that even one teenager can make a difference. But, let's face it, those ideas are somewhat buried beneath a bunch of silly animal jokes, including an ongoing height gag about Napoleonic Zhong wanting to be seen as taller and more imposing. Still, if you don't mind overly familiar storylines, this comedy is generally appropriate for single-digit-aged kids.

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