The Biggest Little Farm: The Return

Movie review by Jennifer Green, Common Sense Media
The Biggest Little Farm Movie Poster

Common Sense says

age 8+

Short docu sequel celebrates harmony, resilience of nature.

NR 2022 29 minutes
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age 6+

Based on 2 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Biggest Little Farm: The Return is a half-hour follow-up to the sweet 2019 film about a family who created and now run a sustainable farm in Southern California. It offers positive messages about caring for the land and allowing ecosystems and wildlife to flourish in natural ways. There are also potentially upsetting scenes of animals -- including baby animals -- getting wounded, attacked, and/or killed. Piglets are accidentally smothered by their mother (one gets buried by a farmer, and another has a wound sewn up in a makeshift operating room), and there are pecking chickens, scary snakes, prowling predators like coyotes, and some destructive wildfires, thunder, and wind storms. References are made to breeding a pig, who has as many as 17 piglets in one litter and spends a lot of time nursing.

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What's the Story?

It's been 10 years since John Chester and his wife, Molly, bought a barren area of land in Southern California with the intent of building a farm, and THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM: THE RETURN shows us how far they've come. John and Molly give public tours of their now thriving farm, which has its own ecosystem of mutually dependent animals, wildlife, and crops. They tend to baby animals of all species, raise their kids on the land, and work relentlessly to help their farm reach its full potential.

Is It Any Good?

Timed for release with Earth Day, this mini-documentary offers a feel-good follow-up to the 2019 feature-length documentary. The Biggest Little Farm: The Return feels like a celebration of the natural harmony and splendor achieved on the farm as well as of the family of director Chester, his wife, and their kids, all captured in golden light. Events from past years, like wildfires and storms, are spliced together and give only a taste of what life on the farm is like. The tight 29-minute running time just doesn't give a lot of room to develop the story, and a lot of time is spent on Emma the pig, a return character from the original film. Viewers who have seen the first film might appreciate this one more, but the sequel could also inspire audiences to seek out the original.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what they would take away as the main message of The Biggest Little Farm: The Return.

  • What was the situation with Emma's last litter of piglets? Why didn't they survive? What did the Chesters learn as a result?

  • How do the animals and plants all work together in harmony to improve the soil and the vibrancy of the Chesters' farm?

  • What is Earth Day? Why is it celebrated? Where could you find more information?

Movie Details

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