What age is War of the Buttons (La Guerre des boutons) appropriate for?

9 alone, 8 with a parent; 9 in France. The whole movie, watched in full: what's in it, and how to talk about it with your child.

Why is War of the Buttons (La Guerre des boutons) not recommended under 9?

What's in it: our reading; children who swear; battles with sticks; the father who hits; an ending at boarding school. The detail, fact by fact, is in the zinema guide, which reads the work itself (images, sound, dialogue).

zinema · movies · what age

War of the Buttons (La Guerre des boutons): what age is it for? 9 alone, 8 with a parent

9 alone, 8 with a parent.

Movie · 1962 · 1 h 30 · comedy, drama, family

YRS

The trailer

Alone, or with you

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

Alone from 9; from 8, with an adult or by talking about it afterwards.

The sweet spot: around 9-11, when you are the gang's age, already have a cabin or a camp, and know what a leader owes his friends. Why a sweet spot?

In France, zinema would say 9.

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

For generations, two rival French villages, Longueverne and Velrans, have been at war. But this is no ordinary conflict, for the on-going hostilities are between two armies of young schoolboys. When he is beaten by his father for having lost his buttons, the leader of the Longueverne army, Lebrac, has an idea which will give his side the advantage: next time, he and his brave soldiers will go in battle without their clothes...

Why 9

Our readingThe children's swearing and the father who hits with his belt, in a film where the battles are games: nine, eight with a parent.
reading
Children who swearThe kids curse like their fathers, about thirty times in all, plus one 1960 insult that would not pass today. The film enjoys it, and it is what children repeat on the way out.
shown
Battles with sticksTwo gangs fight through the whole film, with sticks, stones and fists, taking prisoners whose buttons and suspenders are cut off; the children end up fighting naked. Hunting rifles appear too, without hurting anyone.
shown
The father who hitsLebrac's father drinks and beats his son with his belt, and you hear it; the gang's children are punished, spanked, locked up. Adult drinking is everywhere, and the kids throw a party in their cabin with what they pinched from their parents.
shown
An ending at boarding schoolThe war ends with a runaway and the two leaders separated, sent to boarding school: the ending is bittersweet, and the tears are those of real children.
shown

What the movie brings

A childhood without adults, free and rough, that today's children have never known.
The grown-ups' war seen by the little ones: they fight because their fathers fought, until someone asks why.
The joy of words: Petit Gibus and his famous line, which your child will repeat for a week.

Watching it together

Before

Say beforehand that the children talk like sailors and that Lebrac's father hits; and watch the naked battle with a smile, it is innocent.

After

at 9 and up

Why do the two villages fight, and who could stop the war?

See the facts

A weapon shown or used●●● · shownmeasured

Drugs●●● · saidmeasured

Tense music or sound●●● · shownmeasured

Abandonment, separation, confinement●●○ · shownmeasured

Alcohol●●○ · shownmeasured

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Density of dialogue●●○ · shownmeasured

Fighting, brawls●●○ · shownmeasured

Kissing, romantic gestures●●○ · shownmeasured

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

Pace●●○ · shownmeasured

Smoking●●○ · shownmeasured

Swearing●●○ · shownmeasured

Visible injury, blood●●○ · saidmeasured

Creature, monster, strong villain●○○ · shownmeasured

Disaster, destruction, war●○○ · shownmeasured

Frightening imagery●○○ · shownmeasured

Insults, hurtful words●○○ · shownmeasured

Nudity●○○ · shownmeasured

For the same age, on zinema

Percy Jackson and the Olympians 9, 8 with a parent
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew 9, 8 with a parent
God Save the Tuche 9, 8 with a parent
Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis 9, 8 with a parent

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A zinema reading from September 20, 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