Parents' Guide to

The Star

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 5+

Sweet Nativity story told from animals' perspective.

Movie PG 2017 86 minutes
The Star Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 4+

Based on 53 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.
WWJDHWLF
WWJDHWLF Parent of 5 and 7-year-old
December 8, 2022
age 4+

Loved it! Good true meaning of Christmas movie!

It's been a few years since I've watched. This is how I remember it: It's a very sweet and loving movie. It is both faith-based and age appropriate which is not always easy to find for younger ages. I think it is fun and exciting while still capturing the true meaning and morals and love in the story! I put age 4 only because of the attention-span needed to watch it.
See all 53 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 (53 ):
Kids say (24 ):

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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