Parents' Guide to

The Star

Movie PG 2017 86 minutes
The Star Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

Sandie Angulo Chen By Sandie Angulo Chen , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 5+

Sweet Nativity story told from animals' perspective.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 5+?

Any Positive Content?

  • :58
  • The Star Movie: Bo, Ruth, and Dave try to warn Mary and Joseph
  • The Star Movie: Mary and Joseph with the baby in the manger
  • The Star Movie: Deborah and Abby

Parent and Kid Reviews

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age 5+

Based on 57 parent reviews

Lq2016
Lq2016 Adult
November 27, 2021
age 7+

Nice ending but a lot of violence

It’s a very nice movie for older children that understand that it’s a fictional version of the story of the birth of Christ. It has a lot of violence towards people and threatening and mistreating of animals. The villain dogs try to kill one of the mouse characters and eat it and spit it out. It was showing strangling people and punching from the start. The villain was almost killed once and actually died in the end. So if your child is okay with seeing violence then this will be fine. But for my 4 and 2 year old it was pretty traumatic. Even the next day my 4 year old keeps worrying about being strangled and choking and pretending to suffocate. Not sure why that was necessary in this movie for kids and did not expect it at all. Finally the ending was very sweet showing the birth of Jesus. That was the only nice part.
James C.
James C. Parent of 4-year-old
July 31, 2024
age 5+

Hallelujah!

I LOVED this movie for my child. He loved this movie so much he asked us if we could start going to church. We started going and found Christ. If you are trying to turn your little one to the light side you should watch this film.
See all 57 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Inspired by the Nativity story, THE STAR follows Bo the donkey (voiced by Steven Yeun), who dreams of escaping his dull duties working for the village miller and finding glory and adventure in the outside world. One day he manages to escape and eventually teams up with Ruth (Aidy Bryant), a sheep who's lost her flock, and Dave (Keegan-Michael Key), a wisecracking dove. The trio begins an action-packed journey to follow a star that's leading them toward young, pregnant Mary (Gina Rodriguez) and her husband, Joseph (Zachary Levi), who've been forced by royal decree to travel to Bethlehem. Meanwhile, King Herod's (Christopher Plummer) henchmen, armed with a few scary attack animals, are on the lookout for pregnant women like Mary -- but Bo and his friends are ready to protect their human friends.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (57 ):
Kids say (22 ):

With a great voice cast and cute character animation, this religious tale is just funny and entertaining enough to amuse most families who celebrate Christmas, not just devout church-goers. The Star manages to finely balance the biblical aspects of the Nativity story with the sillier elements associated with animated talking-animal movies. TV star Yeun (The Walking Dead) plays Bo with an earnest hopefulness, which is balanced well by Dave, the knowing, joke-cracking dove voiced by comedian Key. Kids will likely connect with the animals more than they do the biblical adults, who are well acted but far more serious, considering everything that a heavily pregnant Mary (who for some reason has pretty pale skin and huge blue eyes) and Joseph (who at least looks Middle Eastern) are going through to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem.

Although the movie's subject matter is clearly religious, it isn't overtly preachy (unlike many other faith-based films). Still, it's definitely aimed at families that already celebrate Christmas. But it's light enough to amuse kids, and parents will get a kick out of the cast, which also includes turns by Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Kristin Chenoweth, Anthony Anderson, Tracy Morgan, and more. The catchy soundtrack includes a variety of secular, gospel, and Christian superstars -- including Mariah Carey (who sings the theme song), Kirk Franklin, Casting Crowns, and Pentatonix -- singing a mix of classic and contemporary Christmas songs like "We Three Kings" and "Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)." Bottom line? The Star will definitely appeal to Christian families with young kids as a holiday season pick.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the messages of family, faith, and friendship in The Star. What does Bo learn on his journey that leads him to Mary and Joseph? How does he change over the course of the movie?

  • How do some of the characters exemplify integrity and compassion? Why are those important character strengths?

  • Who's the target audience for this movie? Do you need to be Christian to appreciate its story and themes/messages?

  • Why do you think movies about talking animals are so fascinating and funny to kids?

Movie Details

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