Spirited: parents' guide
Best for ages 13 and up. Rated PG-13 for language, some suggestive material and thematic elements.
A big, splashy musical that retells A Christmas Carol from the ghosts' side, aimed mostly at adults and best for teens. Will Ferrell's Ghost of Christmas Present tries to reform a ruthless PR man, played by Ryan Reynolds, who coaches his young niece to post an embarrassing video of a classmate. Expect frequent swearing with cut-off f-words, steady sexual innuendo, a drunk, neglectful mother in flashbacks, and heavy themes: a vision of the future implies the targeted boy takes his own life, a mother's deathbed is shown, a despairing character steps in front of a bus, and a major character dies. Age 13 reflects the language and the suicide themes.
What's in it
Violence
ModerateMostly comic: slaps, falls, street brawls and collapsing walls, and a man is hit by a bus and tossed through the air. Late on, a despairing character steps in front of a bus, and the collision that follows kills a major character. Nothing is gory.
Language
ModerateAround six s-words, f-words that start but get cut off, plus ass, bitch, bastard, wanker and whore, God's name misused nearly 20 times, and several middle-finger gestures.
Sex and nudity
ModerateLots of innuendo and a joke that seems to reference masturbation. A ghost's flirtation with the lead implies an offscreen fling, couples kiss, and a man is seen showering without explicit nudity.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
ModerateThe lead's mother is shown drunk several times and neglecting her children in flashbacks. There are beer jokes, a joke about offering a child a cocktail, and a song lyric about running out of molly.
Scary or intense scenes
ModerateMarley and the Grim Reaper bring a few jump moments, but the heavy content is emotional: a montage of bullying posts that includes 'KYS' (kill yourself), mourners after a boy's implied suicide, a mother's deathbed, and a major character's death.
Sensitive topics
- Suicide
- Bullying
- Death of a parent
- Death of a child
Worth talking about
Clint pushes his niece to post an embarrassing clip of a classmate to win an election. Talk about how one post can follow someone, and what to do if you see a peer being targeted online.
On our lists
Similar picks around 13+
Checked October 24th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, Plugged In, bbfc.co.uk, Wikipedia, highonfilms.com. The age is our judgment, not an official rating, and every family draws its lines differently: read the notes, not just the number. Spotted something we missed? Tell us. How we rate.