What age is The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet appropriate for?

10 alone, 9 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 The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet not recommended under 10?

What's in it: a twin killed by a rifle; a child beaten by a railwayman; a few swear words, mostly in English. The detail, fact by fact, is in the zinema guide, which reads the work itself (images, sound, dialogue).

zinema · movies · what age

The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet: what age is it for? 10 alone, 9 with a parent

10 alone, 9 with a parent.

Movie · 2013 · 1 h 35 · adventure, drama, family

YRS

The trailer

Alone, or with you

56789101112131415

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

Alone from 10; from 9, with an adult or by talking about it afterwards.

The sweet spot: around 10-12, when you are T.S.'s age, like maps and inventions, and know that a family can stay silent about a sorrow. Why a sweet spot?

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

A 10-year-old child prodigy cartographer secretly leaves his family's ranch in Montana where he lives with his cowboy father and scientist mother and travels across the country on board a freight train to receive an award at the Smithsonian Institute.

Why 10

A twin killed by a rifleThe hero's twin brother died in the barn playing with a rifle, an accident the boy relives and feels guilty about; the family never speaks of it. Death is mentioned twelve times.
A child beaten by a railwaymanThe boy sneaks onto a freight train, is hit by an employee, breaks ribs and carries on alone, injured, all the way to Washington. Truckers, strangers, the night.
A few swear words, mostly in EnglishAbout ten in the original version, four in French, a big sister's insults; grimacing faces on television.

What the movie brings

A gifted child who explains the world through diagrams: children who draw recognise themselves.
A family that learns to speak of a dead child, through the mouth of a ten-year-old.
Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Montana and trains, filmed in 3D like a picture book.

Watching it together

Before

Say beforehand that the brother died in a rifle accident and that the boy is hit on the train; the rest is a journey.

After

at 10 and up

T.S. leaves without telling his parents: what would have kept him at home?

See the facts

A weapon shown or used●●● · saidmeasured

Death of a character●●● · saidmeasured

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

A weapon shown or used●●○ · suggestedmeasured

A weapon shown or used●●○ · shownmeasured

Abandonment, separation, confinement●●○ · shownmeasured

Alcohol●●○ · saidmeasured

Alcohol●●○ · shownmeasured

Death of a character●●○ · shownmeasured

Density of dialogue●●○ · shownmeasured

Frightening imagery●●○ · shownmeasured

Insults, hurtful words●●○ · shownmeasured

Kissing, romantic gestures●●○ · shownmeasured

Pace●●○ · shownmeasured

Smoking●●○ · shownmeasured

Swearing●●○ · shownmeasured

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

Creature, monster, strong villain●○○ · suggestedmeasured

Creature, monster, strong villain●○○ · shownmeasured

Fighting, brawls●○○ · shownmeasured

Humor●○○ · shownmeasured

Jump scares●○○ · shownmeasured

Tense music or sound●○○ · shownmeasured

Verbal threat or intimidation●○○ · saidmeasured

Visible injury, blood●○○ · shownreading

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

The latest guides

Le Cinquième Élément 13
Star Wars 11, 10 with a parent
Surveillant ! 10, 9 with a parent
En fanfare 10, 9 with a parent

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