Maleficent (2014)

Maleficent parents guide

No surprises for a PG: no swearing and a few tense moments.

Our estimate: fine from about 7. Rated PG.

Scare

Mildly scary

A few tense or eerie moments.

Jump scares

A couple

One or two sudden jolts.

Gore

No gore

Violence

Some violence

Some fighting or peril.

Sex and nudity

None noted

Language

None noted

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

Three questions

Is Maleficent scary?

Only a little. Maleficent has a few tense moments, nothing that follows you to bed.

How gory is Maleficent?

No gore and some violence. Squeamish viewers are fine here.

What is Maleficent rated, and is it OK for kids?

Yes. It is rated PG, and nothing we tagged runs past mild.

What is Maleficent about?

A beautiful, pure-hearted young woman, Maleficent has an idyllic life growing up in a peaceable forest kingdom, until one day when an invading army threatens the harmony of the land. She rises to be the land's fiercest protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthless betrayal – an act that begins to turn her heart into stone. Bent on revenge, Maleficent faces an epic battle with the invading King's successor and, as a result, places a curse upon his newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Maleficent realizes that Aurora holds the key to peace in the kingdom – and to Maleficent's true happiness as well.

Cast and crew

More like Maleficent

• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)Epic · family watch · strong violence · emotionally heavyA fellowship of heroes embarks on an epic, gritty adventure to destroy a powerful, corrupting ring.
• The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)Epic · family watch · strong violence · emotionally heavyHeroes pursue separate, perilous paths as an ancient evil's power grows, threatening all Middle-earth.
• How to Train Your Dragon (2025)Wholesome humor · epic · family watch · mildly scaryA young Viking forges an unlikely bond with a dragon, challenging generations of tradition with heartwarming, brisk adventure.
• How to Train Your Dragon (2010)Wholesome humor · epic · family watch · mildly scaryA Viking teenager befriends a dragon, leading to heartwarming, whimsical adventures and an epic, feel-good journey.
• Castle in the Sky (1986)Whimsical · family watch · mildly scary · briskA magical crystal guides two young adventurers on a brisk, whimsical race to a legendary floating castle.
• Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005)Wholesome humor · epic · family watch · strong violenceA young boy reawakens to embark on an epic, heartwarming, and whimsical quest to bring peace.
• How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)Epic · family watch · strong violence · mildly scaryA young Viking and his dragon discover a hidden world of wild dragons and a mysterious rider.
• The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)Epic · family watch · strong violence · measuredA company of dwarves, a hobbit, and a wizard continue their epic, suspenseful quest for stolen gold.

Maleficent is on our Action on Disney+, Romance on Disney+, Family on Disney+, Fantasy on Disney+ and Romance lists.

More like this feeling

Prompts we typed into CouchRot, and the lists that share its tags.

• “a fun halloween movie, not too scary”
• “a movie that will make me cry”
• “funny but not stupid, under two hours”

Lists with the same feel: Family night.