What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this movie includes images of war with dead men strewn about trenches and explosions in the background. Sara loses her father in one of the battles and mourns him for much of the movie. Her mother is also dead. One scary scene shows Sara almost fall to her death. Sara is a remarkable character, however. She sticks up for herself and others at all times and captivates all the school girls with her imaginative stories.

Families can talk about Sara's empathy and compassion for others. And why are stories so important to her? How do they help her deal with her sadness? How do the stories she tells relate to what's going on in her life?

Common Sense Media Review
Based on the book by Frances Hodgson Burnett published in 1905, Alfonso Cuaron's adaptation has that combination of magic, drama, boarding school bullies, and a resilient orphan that probably made him a shoe-in for the job of directing the third Harry Potter movie a few years later.

Here the resilient heroine is the motherless Sara Crewe (Liesel Matthews), brought to Miss Minchin's boarding school by her adored father who's heading off to war. She is the brightest girl in the school, with exquisite manners, but her odd fancies and her father's lavish provisions for her make the other girls uncomfortable or jealous. Her only friend in the school is Ermengarde (Heather DeLoach), a pudgy girl who has trouble with her lessons and is very grateful for Sara's attentions. Sara also befriends Becky (Vanessa Lee Chester), a scullery maid.

When Captain Crewe is thought dead and his assets seized, Miss Minchin goes from doting on her to giving her the servant's quarters in the attic next to Becky. Sara tries to imagine she is a princess undergoing a trial to help endure the deprivation and abuse. She also imagines fantastic stories to keep her spirits up and entertain the other girls. (This fantasy element is beautifully captured by Cuaron.) Her generous spirit in the face of adversity catches the attention of the school's mysterious Indian neighbor (Errol Sitahal), who does what he can to restore Sara's happiness.

Unlike Cedric in Little Lord Fauntleroy, Sara Crewe can't be accused of being perfect, though she is not as deliciously unlikable as Mary in The Secret Garden . It takes her a long time to lose her temper and snap at Ermengarde, but she does, and she almost gives up hope.

This is also a wonderful movie to use for a discussion of empathy and compassion. Although Sara is desperately hungry, she gives almost all her food to a beggar child who is even hungrier. Note the way that her compassion inspires others; the baker who watches her give the buns to the beggar child is so moved that she gives the child a home.

Families who enjoy this movie should read the book, which is a bit darker than this telling. They will also enjoy reading and watching The Secret Garden. For more kids using their imaginations, try the recent adaptation of Bridge to Terabithia .