What age is Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them appropriate for?

Rated PG-13 in the US. 13, alone or with a parent; 10 in France. The whole movie, watched in full: what's in it, and how to talk about it with your child.

Why is Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them not recommended under 13?

What's in it: the official rating, first; a dark force that kills; dark, for a long time; wand fights and gunfire. The detail, fact by fact, is in the zinema guide, which reads the work itself (images, sound, dialogue).

zinema · movies · what age

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: what age is it for? 13, alone or with a parent

From 13, alone or with a parent.

Movie · 2016 · 2 h 13 · fantasy, adventure

YRS

The trailer

Alone, or with you

89101112131415161718

not yetwith an adult, or to talk about afteralone

The official US rating is PG-13, and we never go below it. Alone from 13, and not before, even with an adult.

Official US rating: PG-13. In France, zinema would say 10.

Watch the trailerContinue in zinemathen where to watch it, in zinema · more trailers, and where to watch films · Where to stream itWhere to watch

What it's about

In 1926, Newt Scamander arrives at the Magical Congress of the United States of America with a magically expanded briefcase, which houses a number of dangerous creatures and their habitats. When the creatures escape from the briefcase, it sends the American wizarding authorities after Newt, and threatens to strain even further the state of magical and non-magical relations.

Why 13

The official rating, firstRated PG-13 in the US (parents strongly cautioned, some material may be inappropriate for children under 13). zinema never goes below the country's rating: it explains it.
rule
A dark force that killsThe obscurus, a black mass that erupts from an abused child, tears through New York and kills a man in public. A teenager beaten by his adoptive mother, a magical execution narrowly avoided: the film is darker than its trailer.
shown
Dark, for a long timeMost of the film happens in the dark: cellars, night alleys, a prison basement. Creatures growl, jolts punctuate the hunt for the escaped beasts, and the atmosphere weighs more than the fights.
shown
Wand fights and gunfireWizard duels, collapsing buildings, a few bodies on the ground and, near the end, a little blood on the walls. Nothing gory, but destruction on a grand scale.
shown

What the movie brings

Creatures invented with tenderness, and a hero who protects them rather than fighting them.
The idea that an anger you are not allowed to have becomes dangerous, said at a child's height.
A muggle as the story's hero: the one with no powers sees everything best.

Watching it together

Before

Warn that this is not a Harry Potter: a child is beaten here and people die for good. With a nine-year-old, stay close for the scenes with Credence.

After

at 13 and up

Why does Credence become what he becomes? Could someone have helped him earlier?

See the facts

A weapon shown or used●●● · shownmeasured

Creature, monster, strong villain●●● · shownmeasured

Death of a character●●● · shownmeasured

Long dark scenes, night, storm●●● · shownmeasured

Abandonment, separation, confinement●●○ · shownmeasured

Alcohol●●○ · shownmeasured

Disaster, destruction, war●●○ · shownmeasured

Drugs●●○ · saidmeasured

Fighting, brawls●●○ · shownmeasured

Frightening imagery●●○ · shownmeasured

Jump scares●●○ · shownmeasured

Kissing, romantic gestures●●○ · shownmeasured

Verbal threat or intimidation●●○ · saidmeasured

Visible injury, blood●●○ · shownmeasured

Density of dialogue●○○ · shownmeasured

Insults, hurtful words●○○ · shownmeasured

Smoking●○○ · shownmeasured

Swearing●○○ · shownmeasured

Tense music or sound●○○ · shownmeasured

For the same age, on zinema

Les Parfait(s) : Arnaques en famille 10, 9 with a parent
Masterplan 17
Blücher 11, 10 with a parent
Le Château dans le ciel 11, 10 with a parent

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A zinema reading from September 19, 2026 · the whole movie, watched in full · the age by zinema's rules for the US and France, and a human reading · report an error · how this guide is made