Is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles scary?

Only a little. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has a few tense moments, nothing that follows you to bed.

What is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles rated, and is it OK for kids?

It is rated PG, but it runs warmer than that: strong violence. Know your kid.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

Film · 1h 33m · Rated PG

Action, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Sci-Fi, Sports

Four ninja turtles battle an evil clan with brisk action and wholesome, broad humor.

Big broad humor. A family watch at a brisk pace. Emotionally it carries some weight.

Not on a US subscription service as of Oct 28, 2026.

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles parents guide

For a PG, this one goes further: strong violence. Beyond that, mild language and a few tense moments.

Our estimate: fine from about 13, higher than the PG suggests, because of the violence.

Scare: Mildly scary; A few tense or eerie moments.
Jump scares: None noted
Gore: No gore
Violence: Strong violence; Violence is frequent or intense.
Sex and nudity: None noted
Language: Mild; Mild words like damn, hell or crap.

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 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles scary?: Only a little. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has a few tense moments, nothing that follows you to bed.
How gory is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?: No gore and strong violence.
What is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles rated, and is it OK for kids?: It is rated PG, but it runs warmer than that: strong violence. Know your kid.