What age is Onward appropriate for?

Onward is rated PG and PopcornCheck recommends it for ages 7+, based on reading the actual screenplay. The film contains a sustained gauntlet sequence with swinging blades that cut off the resurrected Dad's torso, a genuinely scary dragon curse materialising from a fountain with an eerie mascot face, and a flooding silo chamber that traps both brothers underwater — sequences that could distress younger or more sensitive children.

Does Onward have swearing or bad language?

Onward has Very Mild language. Characters use: hell (x1), sucks (x1), crap (x1), dang (x2) — all mild.

Onward has Mild violence. A dragon breathes fire at Ian and Barley multiple times throughout the film, primarily during the climactic battle sequence.

Is Onward scary for children?

Onward has Mild scary scenes. A gelatinous cube drops suddenly from the ceiling with skeleton remains visible inside — a startling jump-scare moment that may make sensitive children flinch.

Is Onward OK for Kids?

Name: Onward
Director: Dan Scanlon
Genre: Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Released: 2020
Duration: 102 min
Cast: Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Octavia Spencer, Mel Rodriguez

AdventureAnimationComedyFamilyFantasy

PG⭐ 7.4 / 102020 · 1h 42m

Dan Scanlon

Where to Watch

United States

Stream

Rent

Rent or Buy on Amazon

Streaming data by JustWatch

What's In It

Based on the actual screenplay

🗡️Violence

Mild▼

Moments in the script, mildest → most intense

Cartoon / Comedic

Action & Peril

Injuries & Death Shown

Graphic & Disturbing

A dragon breathes fire at Ian and Barley multiple times throughout the film, primarily during the climactic battle sequence.
Sprites — small winged motorcycle gang characters — attack the brothers' van with flails and chains during a high-speed freeway chase, placing the characters in genuine danger.
A blade trap inside an ancient gauntlet cuts off the resurrected Dad's lower torso — played as a plot obstacle rather than gore, but the image of a pair of legs separated from a body is unusual and may confuse or unsettle younger viewers.
The Manticore attacks the dragon with a sword and cuts off its wings during the final battle sequence.
Ian casts a lightning bolt that destroys dragon armour, and a gelatinous cube dissolves skeleton remains — both presented in a fantastical, consequence-light style.
Violence is predominantly action-fantasy and cartoon in tone; no blood is shown and no named character dies on screen during the main story.

💬Language

Very Mild▼

Moments in the script, mildest → most intense

Mild Words

(damn, hell)

Moderate

(ass, b**ch)

Strong

(sh*t)

Extreme

(f**k)

Characters use: hell (x1), sucks (x1), cr*p (x1), dang (x2) — all mild.
No moderate, strong, or extreme profanity of any kind detected — no a**, b**ch, s**t, or f-words.
Language is well within what most children will have heard at school and is unlikely to concern parents.

👻Scary Scenes

Moderate▼

Moments in the script, mildest → most intense

Mildly Tense

Startling Moments

Genuinely Scary

Deeply Disturbing

A gelatinous cube drops suddenly from the ceiling with skeleton remains visible inside — a startling jump-scare moment that may make sensitive children flinch.
The dragon curse materialises from a fountain bearing an eerie mascot face and grows into a large threatening creature — likely the most visually frightening element of the film and may genuinely scare children under 8.
Rat-like unicorns hiss and fly directly at the characters inside a dark tunnel — a sudden, startling moment.
Multiple swinging blade booby traps activate during the ancient gauntlet sequence, creating sustained tension.
Ian falls toward a bottomless chasm and must walk across an invisible bridge he created himself — a prolonged tense sequence resolved when he reaches the other side safely.
A silo chamber floods and submerges both brothers — claustrophobic and tense, resolved when they escape.
Scary sequences are consistently resolved with characters surviving and magic providing a way out — the tone never becomes hopeless.

💕Romance

Mild▼

Moments in the script, mildest → most intense

Crushes & Holding Hands

Kissing & Dating

Suggestive

Sexual Content

Ian and Barley's mother Laurel kisses her boyfriend Colt (a centaur police officer) multiple times — brief and affectionate.
Laurel also gives Ian a kiss on the forehead on his birthday morning.
No sexual content, innuendo, or implied intimacy of any kind is present.

🍺Substances

Mild▼

Moments in the script, mildest → most intense

Mentioned in Passing

Shown Casually

Featured Prominently

Glorified or Abused

The tavern setting includes background references to alcohol — mentioned in passing and not focused on.
The Manticore drinks multiple energy drinks during a car ride — shown casually and played for light comedy rather than glamorised.
No alcohol consumption by main characters and no drug use of any kind depicted.

⚡Stimulation

Moderate▼

Moments in the script, mildest → most intense

Gently Engaging

Exciting

Intense

Overwhelming

The freeway chase sequence — with sprites on motorcycles attacking the van using flails and chains — is fast-paced and loud, sustained over several minutes.
The van driving through a narrow mountain pass while being pursued combines speed, height, and peril in a back-to-back sequence that immediately follows the freeway chase.
The final battle sequence involves the dragon curse attacking multiple characters simultaneously with rapid scene changes and loud sound design — the most intensely stimulating sequence in the film.
Lighter exciting moments include Ian and Barley riding a giant cheese puff through a tunnel at high speed, which is energetic but not overwhelming.
The film's pacing accelerates significantly in the final third — sensory-sensitive children or those under 6 may find the cumulative intensity of the climax difficult.

Onward — Heads Up for Parents

Despite the PG rating and bright Pixar visuals, the blade trap inside the gauntlet that severs the resurrected Dad's torso — leaving a pair of animated legs walking independently throughout the film — is a genuinely strange and mildly unsettling image that parents of younger children should be prepared to explain; it is played matter-of-factly rather than for horror, but the concept of a disembodied lower half as a main character may disturb or confuse children under 6.

About Onward

Onward is a Pixar fantasy-adventure set in a suburban world where magic once existed but has faded from everyday life. Two elf brothers, shy teenager Ian and enthusiastic older brother Barley, embark on a quest to use a magical spell to bring their late father back for one day — but the spell goes wrong, resurrecting only his legs. The film blends road-trip comedy with genuine emotional weight about grief, brotherhood, and growing up without a parent.

👨‍👧

Best watched together

The film's themes of grief, absent parents, and Barley's emotional farewell in the final scene carry real weight that children aged 7–9 will benefit from processing with a parent present; the dragon curse and gauntlet sequences are also intense enough that younger viewers will appreciate reassurance in the moment.

Family Takeaways from Onward

What it gets right

✓The film portrays grief honestly without sanitising it — the boys' longing for a father they never properly knew is treated with real emotional weight, making it a rare animated film that validates children's feelings about loss.
✓Barley prioritising Ian's needs over his own in the final farewell scene is one of the most unselfish acts in recent Pixar storytelling — a powerful model of sibling love that families can point to directly.

Onward Cultural & Values Guide

Cultural & Values Guide

Values & Themes

●Traditional family values

The entire emotional journey centers on Ian learning to appreciate his father's legacy and strengthen his bond with his brother Barley. The film's core message is about honoring family connections and the importance of brotherly love over fantasy quests.

Community Notes

A background character — Officer Spector — briefly mentions her girlfriend, which drew minor commentary from some conservative parent groups at the time of release; the reference is a single passing line of dialogue with no further development.

Cast:Tom HollandChris PrattJulia Louis-DreyfusOctavia SpencerMel Rodriguez