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Parents' Guide to

The Care Bears Big Wish Movie

By Tracy Moore, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 3+

CGI bears teach messages about working hard, caring.

Movie NR 2005 75 minutes
The Care Bears Big Wish Movie Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 3+

Based on 1 parent review

Purplecat12
Purplecat12 Adult
August 20, 2020
age 3+

Most gentle Care Bears movie, good examples

Out of all the Care Bears films this is the most little-kid friendly. Nothing scary or any villians. Instead Wish Bear wishes for more friends, who turn out a bit uncooth but not bad. Good examples of how not to act from the 'new' Bears that arrive (Messy Bear, Too-Loud-Bear and Me Bear) and a good moral. I would reccomend watching this before Journey to Joke a lot though one mention of it comes up in the beginning. Joke a lot has a slightly(?) scary rollercoaster ride to some kids and most of the film only shows one Bear through most of it and may be boring to younger kids. Big Wish is pretty much appropriate for any age but 3+ would understand it more.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

When Wish Bear and Twinkers wish too much, the other Care Bears decide they don't want everything to come so easily. Wish Bear decides to wish for friends who will appreciate her more, but, when her wish is granted, her new friends take wishing a little too far. Soon everything is out of control, and Wish Bear has to learn how to make everything normal again.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (3 ):

The Care Bears are a lovable bunch with positive messages about friendship. Here, in THE CARE BEARS BIG WISH MOVIE, that message could not be more over-the-top, with wishes gone awry and the ensuing chaos that comes from getting everything you wanted. It's a heavy-handed message and may not even land for the target audience, but there are plenty of more realistic scenes demonstrating the importance of hard work, fixing mistakes, and the positive rewards that come from earning our fun. The CGI feels a bit crude, but parents can rest assured this is a peril-free adventure with a big heart.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about wishes. If you could wish for anything in the world, what it would be? Would you wish for everything if you could? Why, or why not?

  • What are some things it's important to work hard at? Do you enjoy working hard at things you like? Why, or why not?

  • The Care Bears have a lot of fun wishing for everything they can imagine, but what happens after a while? What are some of the dangers of getting everything you want right away?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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