What age is Maleficent appropriate for?

Maleficent is rated PG and PopcornCheck recommends it for ages 8+, based on reading the actual screenplay. The film includes Stefan tearing off Maleficent's wings while she sleeps (an implied assault played for emotional devastation), a curse that dooms a baby to a death-like sleep, and a climactic battle where Maleficent transforms into a dragon amid soldiers and weapons.

Does Maleficent have swearing or bad language?

Maleficent has Mild language. Characters use mild name-calling: 'wicked' (x1), 'beast/beasty' (x6), 'hideous' (x1), 'demon' (x1), 'evil' (x3), and 'filthy, stinking' (x1)

Is Maleficent violent?

Maleficent has Moderate violence. King Henry orders 'Bring me her head' before a battle between the human army and the Moor creatures at the border

Is Maleficent scary for children?

Maleficent has Moderate scary scenes. Maleficent's curse at the christening — declaring the infant Aurora will prick her finger on a spinning wheel and fall into a death-like sleep — is genuinely unsettling for a family film

Is Maleficent OK for Kids?

Name: Maleficent
Director: Robert Stromberg
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Action, Family, Romance
Released: 2014
Duration: 97 min
Cast: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Imelda Staunton, Sharlto Copley, Lesley Manville

FantasyAdventureActionFamilyRomance

PG⭐ 6.9 / 102014 · 1h 37m

Robert Stromberg

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

King Henry orders 'Bring me her head' before a battle between the human army and the Moor creatures at the border
Stefan attacks a sleeping Maleficent and tears off her wings, a betrayal scene that is emotionally brutal though not graphically bloody
King Stefan orders the mass burning of every spinning wheel in the kingdom and later builds iron walls and weapons, hunting Maleficent with soldiers
The three fairies bicker and physically squabble with each other in cottage scenes, played for comedic (cartoon-level) effect
The final battle features Maleficent transforming into a dragon while soldiers attack with weapons, ending with Stefan appearing to fall and die in his confrontation with Maleficent
No blood or graphic wounds are shown; deaths (like Stefan's) are implied rather than depicted explicitly
Overall tone is fantasy-action peril rather than graphic violence — tense and dramatic but not gory

💬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 mild name-calling: 'wicked' (x1), 'beast/beasty' (x6), 'hideous' (x1), 'demon' (x1), 'evil' (x3), and 'filthy, stinking' (x1)
No cursing or crude insults beyond fairy-tale villain language
No f-words, s-words, or any strong profanity of any kind detected in the script

👻Scary Scenes

Extreme▼

Moments in the script, mildest → most intense

Mildly Tense

Startling Moments

Genuinely Scary

Deeply Disturbing

Maleficent's curse at the christening — declaring the infant Aurora will pr**k her finger on a spinning wheel and fall into a death-like sleep — is genuinely unsettling for a family film
Aurora discovering she is cursed and that Maleficent is real, feeling betrayed by her caretakers, is an emotionally heavy scene rather than a jump-scare moment
Aurora finding the spinning wheel in the tower and pricking her finger to fulfill the curse plays out with dread and inevitability
Stefan's despair and rage upon finding Aurora seemingly dead is disturbing in its emotional intensity, showing a parent's grief-driven breakdown
The final battle with the dragon transformation and castle siege is tense but ends with resolution rather than lingering horror
No true jump scares are present; scares are built through slow dread and emotional stakes rather than shock

💕Romance

Mild▼

Moments in the script, mildest → most intense

Crushes & Holding Hands

Kissing & Dating

Suggestive

Sexual Content

Young Stefan removes his iron ring so he and Maleficent can hold hands at the border, an innocent gesture of connection
Stefan gives Maleficent a gift on her 16th birthday described as 'true love's kiss,' though this trust is later betrayed
Aurora meets Prince Philip in the forest for a friendly, mutually interested encounter with no physical content beyond charm
Philip is asked to kiss sleeping Aurora to break the curse and is reluctant since they barely know each other; the kiss occurs but fails to break the spell
No sexual content or innuendo of any kind is present — all romance is age-appropriate crushes and a single non-explicit kiss

🍺Substances

Very Mild▼

Moments in the script, mildest → most intense

Mentioned in Passing

Shown Casually

Featured Prominently

Glorified or Abused

No substance use of any kind — alcohol, drugs, or smoking — is depicted or mentioned anywhere in the screenplay
Not a factor in this film at all

⚡Stimulation

Moderate▼

Moments in the script, mildest → most intense

Gently Engaging

Exciting

Intense

Overwhelming

Aurora's discovery of the Moors is a bright, wondrous, exciting sequence full of magical creatures and joyful exploration
Her forest meeting with Prince Philip is an upbeat, charming, exciting scene without heavy sensory intensity
The final battle sequence with the dragon, soldiers, fire, and magical combat is intense and fast-paced, likely to overwhelm sensory-sensitive children
Chase scenes involving Diaval transformed into a horse racing urgently to the castle add sustained intensity
Overall pacing shifts between gentle wonder and high-intensity action, with the climax being the most overwhelming stretch

Maleficent — Heads Up for Parents

Despite being a Disney fantasy film, the scene where Stefan tears off Maleficent's wings while she sleeps is an emotionally intense betrayal that plays almost like an assault allegory, and parents should be ready for younger kids to ask pointed questions about it.

About Maleficent

Maleficent retells Sleeping Beauty from the perspective of the 'villain,' a powerful fairy betrayed by a man she once loved who steals her wings and later curses his infant daughter Aurora out of grief and rage. The film blends dark fantasy, betrayal, and eventual redemption as Maleficent comes to love the very child she cursed, culminating in a battle with dragons, iron, and magic. Tonally it's a moody fairy-tale with real emotional weight about trauma and healing, mixed with Disney fantasy spectacle.

👨‍👧

Best watched together

Younger children (under 8) may need a parent present to process the wing-tearing betrayal scene, the death-like curse on baby Aurora, and Stefan's disturbing despair — these moments carry more emotional weight than typical Disney fare.

Family Takeaways from Maleficent

What it gets right

✓The film challenges a simple good vs. evil framework by showing Maleficent's transformation from victim to villain to redeemed protector, giving kids a nuanced view of morality
✓Aurora's forgiveness of Maleficent after discovering the truth about her curse models real emotional maturity and grace