zinema · movies · what age

Official US rating: PG; zinema says 7. In France, zinema would say 7.

What it's about

As the son of a Viking leader on the cusp of manhood, shy Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III faces a rite of passage: he must kill a dragon to prove his warrior mettle. But after downing a feared dragon, he realizes that he no longer wants to destroy it, and instead befriends the beast, which he names Toothless, much to the chagrin of his warrior father.

Why 7

• Our readingFire-breathing dragons and a final battle against a monster, in a story of friendship: seven alone, six with an adult.
  reading
• A war with dragons, talked about constantlyKilling dragons is the village sport, and the dialogue says so over and over: kill, killed, dead, threats thrown at Hiccup. Almost none of it is shown, but a young child hears it clearly, and it sets a heavy tone in the first twenty minutes.
• Raids, fire, and a big final fightThe village burns during dragon attacks, catapults and axes are in constant use, and the last act is a long battle against a very large creature. It is animated and never gory, but it is loud, fiery, and sustained.
• Dark scenes and a boy on his ownA lot of the film happens at night or in shadowy caves and coves, with a child alone in the dark and frightened faces. Sensitive six year olds may want a hand to hold; by seven most children are carried by the friendship story instead.
• Words that stingHiccup is mocked by his own tribe and called useless, weird, an idiot. It lands, because the film wants you to feel it. Worth naming out loud with a young child who is sensitive to being laughed at.

What the movie brings

• A boy who refuses the answer everyone around him takes for granted, and turns out to be right.
• A friendship built on curiosity and patience rather than force.
• A father and son who have to learn to actually listen to each other.

Watching it together

See the facts

A weapon shown or used●●● · shownmeasured

Death of a character●●● · shownmeasured

Insults, hurtful words●●● · shownmeasured

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

Pace●●● · shownmeasured

A character in danger●●○ · saidmeasured

Abandonment, separation, confinement●●○ · shownmeasured

Creature, monster, strong villain●●○ · shownmeasured

Cruelty, torture, abuse●●○ · saidmeasured

Disaster, destruction, war●●○ · shownmeasured

Fighting, brawls●●○ · shownmeasured

Frightening imagery●●○ · shownmeasured

Kissing, romantic gestures●●○ · shownmeasured

Mockery, humiliation, bullying●●○ · saidmeasured

Tense music or sound●●○ · shownmeasured

Verbal threat or intimidation●●○ · saidmeasured

Visible injury, blood●●○ · shownmeasured

Alcohol●○○ · shownmeasured

Density of dialogue●○○ · shownmeasured

Drugs●○○ · saidmeasured

Smoking●○○ · saidmeasured

Social media, online harassment, exposure●○○ · saidmeasured

Swearing●○○ · shownmeasured

For the same age, on zinema

• Tadeo Jones y La Lámpara Maravillosa 7, 6 with a parent
• LEGO ONE PIECE 7, 6 with a parent
• Les Vacances du Petit Nicolas 7, 6 with a parent
• Les 12 travaux d'Astérix 7, 6 with a parent

SearchAll guides

The latest guides

• Astérix & Obélix : Mission Cléopâtre 7, 6 with a parent
• Les Blagues de Toto 7, 6 with a parent
• Le Petit Nicolas 7, 6 with a parent
• The Iron Giant 7, 6 with a parent

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