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Parents' Guide to

White Fang

By Alyssa Ellsworth, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Exciting tale set in gold-rush Alaska.

Movie PG 1991 109 minutes
White Fang Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 11+

Based on 3 parent reviews

Kristy W.
Kristy W. Adult
August 15, 2016
age 13+

Language alert!!!

My eight year old son read White Fang, and was super excited to know that there was a movie with the same title! After reading the reviews on this site, I didn't see any problem with letting him view the movie. We can explain and talk through scary scenarios, and he can understand it's just acting for a movie. What I wasn't prepared for, was the language in the movie! There were several curse words used throughout the movie! A couple were quite severe! Some, a bit more mild. However, language received zero stars on this website! We ended up putting closed caption on the movie, and I was able to read before the curse word was spoken! I don't know if I can trust a review on this site anymore! If language is something you try to protect your children against, you may want to reconsider watching this movie with your family. Although the movie itself was very engaging, I can't recommend it to be viewed by young children.

This title has:

Too much swearing
2 people found this helpful.
manos79
manos79 Parent
August 13, 2018
age 11+

For kids, but with caution

Great film but I will tend to agree with my son who is 9, that I would say it is more for older kids. There are scenes of dogs fighting which could be a little hard to watch for the younger kids and malicious intent from a gang of individuals. All the same it is a good film which you can talk about cruelty to animals with.

This title has:

Great messages
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Jack Conroy (Ethan Hawke) is in Alaska to follow in his recently deceased father's footsteps in mining for gold in the breathtaking mountains surrounding Klondike. To get to his claim, however, he discovers he cannot survive alone and first follows then relies upon Alex Larson (Klaus Maria Brandauer), an experienced but gruff miner who knew Jack's father. Alex becomes a fatherly figure for Jack and introduces him to the frontier life of self-reliance and hard work. Meanwhile, White Fang (so named because of his white teeth, the result of being both dog and wolf) grows from puppy to adulthood, raised first by a Native American and then by immoral men who enter him in dog fights, until he finally finds a home with Jack.

Is It Any Good?

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

This is a beautifully shot, evocative adventure movie that rises above several two-dimensional "bad guy" characters, an out-of-place musical score, and the occasionally wooden dialogue. Jack London fans should forgive Disney for changing the main character of his story, White Fang, from the titular, mistreated wolf-dog to a recently orphaned young man. Jack pursues adventures that parallel those of the young pup, White Fang, until at last the two become fast friends.

This movie is not for younger kids due to violence, language and more mature themes; however, older kids will enjoy the adventure, and parents will appreciate the scenery and the performance given by Klaus Maria Brandauer.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the frontier life-style and how Jack finds a sense of place in a location that many would find inhospitable. The characters represent a wide spectrum of approaches from the men who steal to those who look out for one another. Families may want to talk about the character of Alex and why he does not seem friendly but how his commitment to keeping promises distinguishes him as someone Jack can rely upon. How are White Fang's and Jack's lives touched by other people and what impact does this have on how they act?

Movie Details

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