The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Movie · 2001

This sweeping, nearly three-hour fantasy epic follows hobbit Frodo Baggins as he sets out to destroy an all-powerful ring before darkness conquers Middle-earth. It is gorgeous and emotionally rich, but carries sustained fantasy violence, genuinely frightening creatures, and moments of real grief that are a lot for little ones.

Best suited to kids around 10 and up who enjoy big adventure stories and can handle scary imagery and on-screen peril without being overwhelmed.

Old-school gender rolesScary imageryPeril & tensionViolenceLoss & griefBig emotionsBehavior modeledLoud or startling soundsFlashing lightsRomance & innuendoDrinking, drugs & smoking

If you’d rather skip

Scary imagerythe prologueModerate

The opening battle sequence shows the Dark Lord Sauron as an armored giant crushing soldiers, with glimpses of war and death; sets a dark tone immediately.

Loud or startling soundsearly in the film, Bag EndMild

A sudden loud boom and flash of the Eye of Sauron occurs when Gandalf reaches toward the Ring; may startle small children.

Drinking, drugs & smokingearly in the film, Bag EndMild

Gandalf and Bilbo share pipeweed in a warm, whimsical scene featuring magical smoke rings; a natural moment to talk about smoking with curious kids.

12 more moments are in the full report. See all of them, checked against your own family’s settings, in Little Longer.