What age is Kirikou and the Sorceress (Kirikou et la sorcière) appropriate for?

6 alone, 5 with a parent; 6 in France. The whole movie, watched in full: what's in it, and how to talk about it with your child.

Why is Kirikou and the Sorceress (Kirikou et la sorcière) not recommended under 6?

What's in it: above the official rating, and why; the fetishes, the canoe and the tree that carry off the children; men "eaten", and a thorn in the back; bare bodies, as in the village. The detail, fact by fact, is in the zinema guide, which reads the work itself (images, sound, dialogue).

zinema · movies · what age

Kirikou and the Sorceress (Kirikou et la sorcière): what age is it for? 6 alone, 5 with a parent

6 alone, 5 with a parent.

Movie · 1998 · 1 h 10 · fantasy, adventure, animation, family

YRS

The trailer

Alone, or with you

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not yetwith an adult, or to talk about afteralonethe sweet spot

The official US rating is PG; we never go below it, and here we go above: 6. Alone from 6; from 5, with an adult or by talking about it afterwards.

The sweet spot: around 6-8, the age at which wooden masks are frightening and you still understand that the sorceress has a thorn in her back; at eight, you argue about what excuses her and what does not. Why a sweet spot?

Official US rating: PG; zinema says 6. In France, zinema would say 6.

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

Drawn from elements of West African folk tales, it depicts how a newborn boy, Kirikou, saves his village from the evil witch Karaba.

Why 6

Above the official rating, and whyRated PG in the US (parental guidance suggested). We say 6: Seventy minutes of frights made for children: talking wooden masks, a canoe and a tree that carry off the little ones, a monster in the spring, and each time a trick that undoes it within minutes, never a blow. The men said to be eaten all come back, and the nudity is that of the village, never sexual. Six years old, five with a parent for the tree and the spring.
reading
The fetishes, the canoe and the tree that carry off the childrenKaraba's fetishes, wooden masks that talk and keep watch, chase Kirikou through the village; an enchanted canoe, then a tree, carry the village children off towards the sorceress, they scream, Kirikou brings them back. In the spring, a monster swollen with water swallows everything; Kirikou climbs inside and bursts it. Every fright is undone within minutes by a trick, never by a blow.
Men "eaten", and a thorn in the backWe are told again and again that the sorceress has eaten the village men; they all come back at the end, turned into fetishes and then restored. Kirikou pulls out the thorn stuck in Karaba's back, she screams with pain, no blood. The village is burned once by the fetishes, nobody hurt.
Bare bodies, as in the villageThe women are bare-breasted and Kirikou is naked from the first shot to the last, as people are in the village of the story; it is never sexual and children see nothing in it. A few harsh words between villagers (idiot, fools).

What the movie brings

A tiny hero who wins by asking questions: why is Karaba wicked? Nobody had wondered.
An Africa drawn without folklore, the savannah, the huts, the spring, the drums, with music by Youssou N'Dour.
The villain has a reason, and removing it heals everyone: an idea a six-year-old carries away.

Watching it together

Before

At five, stay for the tree that carries off the children and for the spring; say beforehand that Kirikou brings everyone back.

After

at 6 and up

Karaba was wicked because of the thorn in her back: does that excuse what she did to the village?

See the facts

A moment that calls for a parent●●● · suggestedmeasured

Tense music or sound●●● · shownmeasured

Abandonment, separation, confinement●●○ · shownmeasured

Creature, monster, strong villain●●○ · shownreading

Disaster, destruction, war●●○ · shownmeasured

Insults, hurtful words●●○ · shownmeasured

Jump scares●●○ · shownmeasured

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

Pace●●○ · shownmeasured

A weapon shown or used●○○ · shownreading

Alcohol●○○ · shownmeasured

Death of a character●○○ · saidreading

Density of dialogue●○○ · shownmeasured

Fighting, brawls●○○ · shownreading

Kissing, romantic gestures●○○ · shownmeasured

Nudity●○○ · shownreading

Sexual innuendo, double meanings●○○ · shownmeasured

Visible injury, blood●○○ · shownreading

For the same age, on zinema

Kung Fu Panda 6, 5 with a parent
Kérity, la maison des contes 6, 5 with a parent
Paddington 6, 5 with a parent
Penguins of Madagascar 6, 5 with a parent

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A zinema reading from September 22, 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