The Spider-Man: Spider-Verse movies parent guide and why they're rated PG

The Spider-Man: Spider-Verse movies are officially rated PG. What does this mean for parents, and are they suitable for younger children?

Peter Parker (Jake Johnson), Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) and Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) in Sony Pictures Animation's SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE.
Peter Parker (Jake Johnson), Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) and Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) in Sony Pictures Animation's SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE.

Spider-Man is a popular superhero for the younger members of the family. He’s a kid, which makes him appeal to younger kids a little more. Before you even think of jumping into one of the Spider-Verse movies, though, you need to make sure it’s suitable for everyone in the house.

The Spider-Verse movies bring us Miles Morales, a biracial teenager who ends up becoming the superhero that we all know. His backstory is different to that of Peter Parker’s, the first Spider-Man we’d come to know. And he is certainly a great role model for children of color—a great chance for children of color to see themselves on the screen.

Into the Spider-Verse didn’t just bring us Miles, though. We also got an older Peter Parker as well as Spider-Gwen. This opened the door to multiple universes, where different Spider-characters exist. Across the Spider-Verse continued that growth.

The two animated Spider-Man movies are rated PG. This means that they’re suitable for children. Most of the time, we’d say eight and over can watch these movies without any concern. Any younger than that, it’s going to be something you’ll probably want to sit to watch with them. To be honest, the movies are great for adults and children so they’re worth making as part of a movie night.

But why is there such a rating for an animated movie? This comes down to the level of violence that is shown. It’s nothing graphic or obscene, but there is some violence throughout. These are superhero movies, after all!

Some of the scenes are on the intense side. These movies are full of action and characters making sacrifices for the good of the world. If your children are used to the Spider-Man comics, there is nothing different in these movies.

There are some character deaths. These moments could need explaining, especially to younger children, and there may be some tears. Even the adults can cry at some of the character deaths.