Common Sense Media Review
By Renee Schonfeld
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Awful live-action/animation has cartoon mayhem, potty humor.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 7+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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Woody Woodpecker
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 21 parent reviews
Parents say the movie is colorful and entertaining for children, but there are mixed feelings about its content, including concerns over inappropriate language and chaotic behavior depicted. While some parents found it enjoyable and suitable for younger viewers, others were disturbed by the slapstick violence and crude humor, leading to a lack of consensus on its age appropriateness.
- colorful and fun
- mixed content reception
- inappropriate language
- slapstick violence
- chaotic behavior
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
Based on 26 kid reviews
What's the Story?
WOODY WOODPECKER (voiced by Eric Bauza) is happily living in a tree in the majestic Pacific Northwest wilderness. His idyllic life is about to change. A Big Oil Seattle lawyer, Lance Walters (Timothy Omundson), who has just lost his job, has other ideas for the bucolic setting. He's going to build an enormous house on property his grandfather left him, fill the place with modern conveniences, and then "flip it" and make a fortune. With his empty-headed fiancée (Thaila Ayala) at his side, and his mostly estranged teen son, Tommy (Graham Verchere), grudgingly accompanying him, Lance sets out to bring his crass values and overblown ego to the forest. Woody is devastated. Not only are these humans encroaching on his territory, it looks like they might be there permanently. So the noisy, aggressive bird with a talent for chaos plots and executes a campaign of destruction. Complicating the already charged situation are two bumbling poachers out to get Woody. It seems they have identified him as a nearly extinct "pileated red-crowned woodpecker," so he's worth a lot -- stuffed. It's only Woody's budding friendship with young Tommy and Lance's growing awareness of right and wrong that may save the woodpecker's home, and even the forest itself.
Is It Any Good?
Inanely cruel villains, an unoriginal story, ham-handed performances, and reliance on farts and burps are the low lights of this awkward effort to bring back a less-than-engaging cartoon bird. The filmmakers' efforts at "homage" are restricted to naming the adult lead "Lance Walters" (Walter Lantz, get it?). Woody Woodpecker (2017) has none of the cleverness, satire, or appealing characters associated with Looney Tunes, The Muppets, and other surviving franchises from decades earlier. Other than a nice performance from Graham Verchere, whose down-to-earth Tommy seems to have stepped in from another movie, there's little to recommend.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in animated movies. In Woody Woodpecker, the cartoon action happens to live people. In what ways, if any, does this change your response? Does a cartoon animal exploding seem funnier or less scary than a real person exploding? Why is it important for families to understand the impact of violence on kids?
What is the meaning of the word "stereotype"? Which of the characters in this movie are stereotypes (or stereotypical) and in what way? Which of the characters of the movie felt real and which felt like cartoons?
Hearing farts and burps and seeing poop are easy laugh-getters. Why are such actions and sounds so funny? Is it always OK for filmmakers and/or storytellers to rely on such lowbrow humor?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : February 6, 2018
- Cast : Timothy Omundson , Eric Bauza , Graham Verchere
- Director : Alex Zamm
- Inclusion Information : Asian Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Universal Studios Home Entertainment
- Genre : Family and Kids
- Topics : Adventures , Animals ( Wild Animals )
- Run time : 91 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : some action, rude humor and language
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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