Full Series Age Appropriateness of the Clone Wars

I have never watched this show, but now that it is on NetFlix I am thinking of introducing it to my young sons. One will be three next month, and the other will be five in June. Common Sense Media has a recommended age rating of 8 with the following description:

It also gets 3 out of 5 stars for Scariness and Violence.

I'm not married to the age ratings on Common Sense Media. For example, Star Wars (Episode 4) has a rating of 7, but I allowed my son to watch it after turning four. (Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi are both rated 8.) On the other hand, I don't want my kids turning into violent sociopaths one day because they didn't watch enough Sesame Street or Doc McStuffins as kids.

My idea is, if it's age appropriate, to let them watch one episode per week as a sort of special event (like on Sunday nights). Can the parents who are familiar with the series share their thoughts on the age appropriateness? Also, if there are some seasons or story arcs that are more or less appropriate, would you share that as well? Any difference with the Clone Wars movie (which is also on NetFlix)?

Thanks!

 

If you're OK with ANH, then the movie is totally safe, and the first two-and-a-half seasons should be pretty safe. There's the torture sequence mentioned above, but it's not particularly explicit. The episode "Nightsisters" is where I'd recommend starting to monitor them (though there are plenty of kid-friendly episodes in later seasons as well, like the Younglings arc).

People die throughout the series, but it's not taken lightly. I think Star Wars is good about that in general; the first two seasons almost always take the time to mourn the dead or condemn the killer in some way, and I think that can actually be better than not being exposed to any death at all. The later seasons occasionally indulge the sadistic actions of darksiders, but with the foundations laid by the rest of the series, you should have a feel for whether that's going to affect your kids positively or negatively.

I concur with AF about media not affecting a dangerous mindset, but I also get that it's not always about danger; some people might not want their kids to be desensitized or take heavy concepts lightly, even if it's technically harmless. IMO, the Star Wars saga in general is one of the best sources of moral reinforcement for kids. I know it had a strong effect on me.

 

I personally think CW is too violent for young children. While adults are able to grasp the greater messages, ironies, and fully understand the tragedy of Anakin Skywalker, children miss these subtleties.

I would suggest previewing episodes, but the series glorifies violence, regardless of what the characters say. I don't care if the clones have distinct personalities or a few characters remark on Anakin's predispositions to torture. The brief dialogue does not effectively counter the strong images that dominate the series, especially for children. I may be going strongly against the grain, but it's an unfortunate mistake that CW was written and marketed to children.

If you do decide to watch, please do so with your children. Don't be afraid of the pause button. Take the time to pause the show and talk about what you both are seeing. What just happened? Why did that character choose to act that way? Do you think it's okay to talk that way to a friend? Why are they fighting those guys? Discuss, discuss!

Also, I applaud you for pausing to consider the appropriateness of the media your children consume.

 

I am very new to The Clone Wars, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. I saw the Clone Wars movie in theaters and then just recently I started watching some on Netflix. Clone wars to me seems a little strange in that some of the episodes (or the movie for instance) seem to be very targeted towards children and "tweens", and is pretty standard stuff when it comes to violence/subject matter. (In fact, after I saw the Clone Wars movie I never looked at the series again until it came to Netflix because it left me with the impression that the show was a juvenile television show that didn't have the "all ages" appeal of the films. On the other hand, for every episode I've seen that is like this, there's an episode which features (in my opinion) violence disturbing enough that it leaves me feeling uneasy. I am 20 and while I'm not someone who loves violence, I'm not any more sensitive than the next person. It's not so much that the violence is "intense" or "bloody", but rather there is a lot of cruelty, for instance torturing people (as mentioned previously), or a character repeatedly shot in a way similar to Boromir's death in the first Lord of the Rings film. I also feel like the little bit of the Savage Opress/Darth Maul arc that I saw had some pretty disturbing elements, from Opress randomly choking that snake to Darth Maul's mental breakdown. So clone wars is in this weird state where the writing/story is normal, all ages (or in many cases directed at the Cartoon Network main demographic), "episode I, II, and OT style" star wars but that the violence which is part of those stories are frequently rivaling or surpassing the brutality of Episode III.

Basically, I personally would probably censor certain parts of certain episodes if I had children that young. If possible, I'd say watch the episodes before hand, but if you can't do that I'd say to watch it with them and if something comes on that is disturbing to them/seems to be gearing up for something disturbing, to forward it. That's what my mother used to do with movies and it worked well for me.

 

Watching Yoda's arc from season 6, I'm not sure what 10 year old could handle or comprehend what went down. I mean, that was some deep, dark stuff that occurred.

 

I think this thread needs this video....



However, I do agree with AniFan and others...there is plenty in the first few season that is more aimed at kids and I think many kids with strong upbringings would be able to handle the later seasons/episodes - or decided that it isn't something they want to watch.

 

The age appropriateness of TCW is approximately equal to the age appropriateness of the Star Wars movies.

Some parts of TCW are lighter and more kiddie-esque than the movies, some parts are a bit darker than the movies (but not too much). On the whole it works out about the same.

Also Fives_Says_No_To_Sixes you might wanna put an advisory in that post stating that the video contains strong language. The mods are likely to edit your post otherwise. Just a heads up.

 

I'm another one that doesn't believe violence in movies or video games leads kids to commit acts of violence. I have a low tolerance for violence in live action because since middle school I've been plagued with chronic nightmare, many of these are horrific.But I've always seen animated violence as just a cartoon. My 6 year old niece has grown up watching The Clone Wars for four years. I've also let her watch some bits of animes like Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Soul Eater, and Sword Art Online. She's fine. I suppose it would be up to the parent to determine how sensitive their child is.