Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) Poster

Parents Guide

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Certification

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MPAA Rated PG for frightening moments, creature violence and mild language
Certification

Sex & Nudity

Violence & Gore

  • Ron gets pulled down under the Whomping Willow and ends up having his leg broken.
  • The Whomping Willow flicks a bluebird into little pieces twice.
  • Ron expresses concern about whether his injured leg will be amputated.
  • Harry's school book attacks him (the book is equipped with eyes and teeth and attacks very abruptly so it may cause a jump).
  • Dementors attack 3 or 4 times throughout the movie. While not really violent, the Dementors are quite frightening from their appearance alone. (See frightening and Intense Scenes for further description)
  • Draco gets kicked by a Hippogriff (a sort of mix between a falcon and a horse). His father makes a complaint and arranges to have the Hippogriff executed. The execution is seen from on top of a hill and the actual killing is not visible. All the viewer sees is the executioner raise and then lower his axe from far away and we see birds fly when the axe lowers. However as shown later, the Hippogriff was rescued and all the executioner was really lowering his axe on was a pumpkin.
  • Hermione punches Draco in the face.
  • A black dog attacks Ron and drags him by the leg.
  • A tree (The Whomping Willow) attacks Harry and Hermione. They mostly avoid getting hit by the branches but get thrown back a couple times.
  • Harry disarms Snape, and in the process sends him flying across the room and crashing into a bed.

Profanity

  • A few uses of bloody h*ll and a brief d*mn.

Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking

  • Lupin is mentioned to have forgotten to take a potion.
  • Mild
  • In the opening sequence, Marge, Vernon and Petunia drink some brandy.
  • Marge also lets her pet bulldog drink brandy out of her glass.
  • Fudge, McGonagall and Rosmerta have some alcoholic drinks from a bottle.

Frightening & Intense Scenes

  • In a Quidditch match, lightning strikes a chaser's broomstick making him fall down.
  • In a boggart defense lesson, a girl has a snake for a boggart and changes it to a jack-in-the-box clown leaning forwards and backwards moving his hands like they're going to push you. It's very frightening to viewers who are afraid of clowns when it leans forward to the screen.
  • This movie is a bit scarier than the previous ones but still not that scary.
  • The scene where Harry Potter blows up his Aunt Marge could be considered frightening to some, but most would probably consider it hilarious.
  • The first appearance of a Dementor happens on Hogwarts Express. Everything goes dark and windows freeze, then suddenly a large, rotten hand appears on the door of the carriage. Pretty dark and unsettling scene.
  • The images of the werewolf can be quite frightening to some.
  • There is a scene where Harry is playing Quidditch (wizard sport on broomsticks) and dementors show up during the match. It is high up in the clouds during a thunder and lightning storm. A dementor rises up right in front of the camera and we see inside it's decayed mouth. A shocking and unpleasant jump scare.
  • Film takes a tone shift that will be started with the 4th film. While this movie is PG, it's still very scary in some scenes
  • This film is more darker than the first 2 movies
  • Mild for neurodivergent viewers.
  • This film is quite dark, thematically and visually, but not too frightening. Children should be able to handle it.
  • The plot of the film revolves around a convicted murderer escaping from prison and going after Harry, supposedly to kill him.
  • All scenes with Dementors are quite frightening and intense. The purpose of a Dementor is to suck out all of your happiness and only leave you with your own misery. Various characters (prominently Harry) encounter Dementors a few times throughout. The appearance of the Dementors can be frightening.
  • Lupin's transformation into a werewolf is particularly frightening. You see his backbone protrude and reshape as well as his feet and his face. He then goes on to attack Harry, Ron & Hermione but is intercepted by Sirius (as a dog). They erupt into a fight and Lupin nearly kills Sirius.
  • In one scene, Sirius and Harry are attacked by about 100 Dementors at once. Multiple Dementors try to suck out their souls and both of them are nearly killed, but they are saved at the last second. While the Dementors are not violent, it is their appearance and what they can do such as sucking out a person's soul which makes them frightening. Overall, an intense scene.

Spoilers

The Parents Guide items below may give away important plot points.

Violence & Gore

  • Lupin (in werewolf form) tries to attack Ron, Hermione and Harry. However, Sirius (in dog form) fights it and the fight can be heard and seen the. Not so much graphic as there are disturbing noises.

Frightening & Intense Scenes

  • There are scary scenes including sequences in which demonic creatures called Dementors appear to suck the life force out of various human characters and a scene in which a man transforms into a werewolf. There are also moments of threat including a scene in which a magical animal is sentenced to death, a scene in which three friends are attacked by a magical tree and a scene in which the young characters are threatened by an evil wizard.
  • In the boggart scene We see some things that might be frightening for young audiences such as a giant spider and snake, a clown and a dementor.
  • Near the end of the movie Lupin turns into a Werewolf which might be scary for young audiences

See also

Taglines | Plot Summary | Synopsis | Plot Keywords


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