Parent reviews for The Gruffalo

I would t recommend it for sensitive Kids, not Worth to watch... Expected lovely story but its Just dark and too much scary

Definitely too much for any toddler, the concept of a scary monster coming after the little mouse is too much. Would say it's appropriate for ages 6+.

My daughter is 4. She didn’t find it scary but we have read the book a lot—I think that is key! She knew the story so it didn’t feel scary. A kiddo new the story probably would be!

This book is fantastic, but the movie is for sure not for 3 year olds as common sense is suggesting.

My 9 year old enjoyed this but says it’s too scary for those under 7 due to the part in the ‘deep, dark woods’ and the sequences of the different characters being eaten.

Both the book and the show are excellent! We had read the book first when she was about 18 mths, and then watched this around 2.5 years old, and she didn’t find it scary at all because she already knew how the story went. The book is a fun read for parents and kids alike, and the show is likewise entertaining but sort of prolongs the intense, suspenseful moments. I have several friends with toddlers that likewise read the book first and then the show, and it wasn’t too much for them. I recommend this show (and book) and another Julia Donaldson book / show called Room on the Broom to parents of young kiddos and up because it’s not too loud (it’s actually oddly soothing with fun rhymes in British voices) - whereas a lot of other TV for kids is pretty annoying. The mouse tricks the other animals and so uses his smarts to get himself out of a sticky situation. My daughter is almost 4 now and she still can’t get enough of this show, and then she always wants to read the book again so it encourages reading. May be too scary for toddlers who only watch the show first, though.

This may only be a short film, but it feels more epic than most full length films. It takes its time, doing away with frenetic pace and dazzling CGI to create a classic stop motion or puppet show feel. Genuine suspense, laughs and beautiful design. A mouse takes a stroll through the woods avoiding being eaten by predators by telling them that he is meeting a (made up) friend of his that is fierce and scary. Alas, the mouse discovers his ‘made up’ friend is real. The way the story uses brains over brawn and shows a better approach to problems is a testament to the writer of the source book, but the translation into film was restrained and well done. The design is spot on with that of the talented artist who illustrated the book, too. It’s also acted through voice over extremely well. There’s no over acting, no flailing or such, just classic, timeless performances. A rare, real kids adventure story that shows these kinds of tales don’t need to be filled with dazzling Pixar fluorescent action and pop culture jokes that date in 6 months.