Thrill Ride
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Thrill Ride
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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 Thrill Ride is an adventure story about three kids looking for one of Al Capone's many rumored hidden stashes of money and treasure. Fantasy violence includes fighting with magical abilities. There's some scariness from long, dark tunnels; a mummy, a witch, a vampire, and a zombie are brought to life, and animatronic bears come to life and attack the kids. "Damn" is used a couple of times, but the rest of the iffy language involves potty humor like "crap," "poop," and "buttload." There's one kiss on the lips between two kids, and mentions of skinny-dipping, nudity, and that sexual reproduction results in birth. Gross-out humor includes farting and eating live goldfish. The kids' mother passed away from an illness 18 months ago.
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What's the Story?
Kids Henry (Lucas Jade Zumann), his sister Joy, and his best friend Truman are in for a THRILL RIDE when they set out to find some of Al Capone's lost treasure in an old amusement park that's about to be torn down. Happyland is long rumored to be one of Capone's secret hiding places, so the kids take one last chance to head back there armed with new clues to the treasure's whereabouts. Unfortunately, an evil mermaid, Aubrey, wants the treasure, too. And she's got a cadre of pirate henchmen and the power to bring the Happyland attractions to life. The kids find an unexpected ally in Esmerelda, the Sea Hag (Kristen Johnston). Can they repair Esmerelda's magic wand in time to defeat Aubrey? And will they find the treasure and save the family business?
Is It Any Good?
A treasure quest and plenty of pirates and potty humor bring surefire kid appeal and make it easy for kids to overlook the cheesy effects and clichés that adults will see right through. Based on a story created by the director's son, it's no surprise that Thrill Ride has a lot of what kids want from a good adventure. But it's also pretty predictable and not very original -- traits that keep it from being a movie the whole family will enjoy together. It's fine for big-kid action/adventure lovers who can handle a couple of instances of "damn," a kiss, some fantasy violence, and a few mild scares here and there.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in Thrill Ride. Does it matter if it's fantasy violence? How much is OK for movies, TV, and video games? Is it different for books?
How about the strong language? Do the kids talk like real kids do? If it's realistic, does that make it OK?
What other treasure-hunting movies have you seen? Which one do you like best? Why do you think we like movies about finding hidden treasure so much?
Movie Details
- In theaters: August 17, 2016
- On DVD or streaming: December 12, 2017
- Cast: Kristen Johnston, Lucas Jade Zumann
- Director: Chris Parrish
- Studio: Black Apple Media
- Genre: Family and Kids
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Adventures, Brothers and Sisters, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires, Pirates
- Run time: 86 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG
- MPAA explanation: Language, action, and briefly suggestive material
- Last updated: March 31, 2022
Our Editors Recommend
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The Goonies
Classic '80s adventure has lots of swearing, some scares.
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5 Children & It
Funny wish-granting story has some mild scariness.
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Treasure Planet
Outer-space pirate treasure hunt lots of fun; fab animation.
For kids who love adventure
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