The scene is dark and grisly, the monster is terrifying, and the music is loud and intense. In addition to the violent scenes mentioned above, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore has some scenes that could scare or disturb children aged 5-8 years.
The movie is also thematically much darker than the others. I wouldn't consider it inappropriate for younger children, but they may struggle to understand it, as most plotlines are convoluted and confusing even for adults, and much of the plot centres around political drama.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is rated PG-13.
The movie has been given a rating of PG-13 for fantasy violence, particularly towards magical animals.
With the full PG-13 rating breakdown above, this parent movie reviewer would not recommend Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore for kids younger than the age of a mature 11-years old preteen, for sure. Dark, scary themes and a very puzzle piece storyline is confusing for adults and kids alike.
Rated PG-13 for some fantasy action/violence.
The characters are kind, strong and refreshingly unconventional. There are, however, some scary and violent scenes and disturbing themes. For these reasons, we don't recommend this movie for children under 13 years. And we do recommend parental guidance for children aged 13-15 years.
In addition to the violent scenes mentioned above, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore has some scenes that could scare or disturb children aged 5-8 years. For example, on Grindelwald's orders, a female qilin (a wise, revered, doe-like creature) is attacked moments after giving birth to a Bambi-like baby.
Keep in mind that all kids are different, so assess your child's ability to handle fright and peril before you see the movies or read the books. 7–9: A great age to begin (for younger kids, consider reading aloud together).
The Secrets of Dumbledore is rated PG-13 for some fantasy action/violence.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is rated PG-13 for fantasy action and violence which means some material may not be suitable for kids under 13. Parents need to know that Fantastic Beasts 3 is more kid friendly than Fantastic Beasts 2.
It is darker than previous Harry Potter movies, and contains more intense action violence and drama. At 146 minutes, it is also very long. It is definitely not suitable for children and younger teenagers.
Not so dark in terms of the atmosphere but in terms of the spells used, some of the beasts featured and the battle scenes. Which according to Common Sense Media put's it around suitable for 9 – 10-year-olds, which is basically 2 years time as I said for J to watch it in the cinema.
The first three Harry Potter books are great to read aloud to kids aged from about six or seven up. Certainly most children - both boys and girls - will love them from the age of eight.
Fantastic beasts is funny, exciting and very pleasant to watch given the costumes and time period. Some reviewers have complained about the sexual innuendos. I found them very mild, if noticeable at all to children. There certainly is a lot of adventure, and fighting, and yes, death.
The Harry Potter book series is Middle Grade, not YA (Young Adult). This means it is generally written for children ages 8-12 and grade levels 3-7.
The MPAA rated Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets PG for scary moments, some creature violence and mild language.
Too scary for Tweens, unclear if you didn't read the book
There are even some sexual innuendos between the main characters. If the objective of the film is to scare everyone with every scene, then they accomplished their mission. Skip this movie until you have 15+ year olds.
At the end of the day, always consider what you think your kid can handle and use your judgement, but generally speaking, I wouldn't show this to kids under 11.
Absolutely not! There are plenty of children (my own included) who aren't ready to read Harry Potter independently or even aloud at that age, or who are ready much sooner. The books wouldn't frighten some kids who are even younger, but would make some kids uncomfortable years later.
Best for: 5-7 year olds, 8-11 year olds, 12 years & over and Harry Potter fans of any age!
Age 7–9. A great age to watch and read together.
Whether you view it through the horror paradigm or not, you cannot doubt that The Chamber of Secrets is one of the most affecting films in the Harry Potter franchise, with it making a bold claim to be the most terrifying from our childhood.
Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for some fantasy action violence.
Age 7–9. A great age to begin (for younger kids, consider reading aloud together). Read: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.