The Super Mario Bros. Movie: parents' guide
Best for ages 7 and up. Rated PG for action and mild violence.
A bright, fast animated adventure that most kids from about 7 can enjoy, especially game fans. Brooklyn plumbers Mario and Luigi are pulled into the Mushroom Kingdom, where Mario teams up with Princess Peach against Bowser. The action is cartoonish and bloodless, but Bowser is a genuinely menacing villain who burns a kingdom, threatens to kill the brothers and plans to sacrifice prisoners in lava, and a dark scene of skeleton turtles crawling from the ground may scare little ones. There's no swearing, just insults like 'idiot.' Mario is mocked by a former boss and doubted by his family.
What's in it
Violence
MildCartoon fights, missile blasts, explosions, falls and chases. Donkey Kong pounds Mario with barrels, Bowser's fire reduces a turtle to a skeleton, and he slams a piano lid on a minion's fingers. No blood.
Language
NoneNo profanity. Insults include 'idiot,' 'stupid,' 'lunatic' and 'You're a joke,' plus a 'shut up.'
Sex and nudity
NoneNothing beyond crushes: Mario and Bowser are both sweet on Peach, and Bowser rehearses a goofy marriage proposal. No kissing.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
NoneNo drinking or drugs. Characters eat magic mushrooms and flowers for game-style power-ups, and that's the only connection.
Scary or intense scenes
ModerateBowser's volcanic lair, fiery attacks and threats of death are intense for young kids. A horror-style scene has skeletal turtles with glowing red eyes claw out of the ground and grab Luigi, and a tiny star cheerfully talks about death.
Sensitive topics
- Bullying
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Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, Plugged In, movieguide.org. 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.