Parents' Guide to

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy

TV Disney XD Kids' Animation 2015
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

Emily Ashby By Emily Ashby , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 8+

Ragtag hero bunch's continuing story is violent but fun.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 8+?

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What's the Story?

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY continues the story of "Star-Lord" Peter Quill (voiced by Will Friedle) and his band of misfit heroes: Groot (Kevin Michael Richardson), Gamora (Vanessa Marshall), Drax the Destroyer (David Sobolov), and Rocket Raccoon (Trevor Devall). Together the Guardians patrol the universe and thwart villains' evil plots, including the efforts of Thanos (Isaac Singleton, Jr.) to locate the Cosmic Seed, which could yield a new universe and untold power to its master. Only by delving into Star-Lord's mysterious past and locating the Cosmic Seed themselves can the Guardians hope to protect the galaxy from Thanos and his fellow villains.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (2 ):

This continued story of the ragtag group of former criminals turned unlikely heroes plays to a younger audience than its parent movie does, thanks to generally more kid-friendly content. There's still a lot of violence, but there's also less death, and its animated format takes the edge off the exchanges that exist. Thanos remains an intimidating adversary, to be sure, but he and the other bad guys are less threatening in cartoon form than they are in live-action.

What sells the Guardians as protagonists is their relatability as individual characters. They're imperfect, they can be rash, and they have complex backstories that influence their actions and evolve as the series progresses. This makes them intriguing standalone characters and affects the group dynamic in interesting ways. Lighter moments can be humorous, and there are some melancholy ones that reference Peter's family's past. There's also a definite advantage to having seen the movie and thus knowing how the characters came to be a group, but newcomers will get up to speed fairly quickly.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about heroes. Kids: What makes someone a hero in your eyes? Does a hero have to be famous? Where have you encountered people whose actions were heroic?

  • If your kids have seen the movie, talk about the similarities and differences between the two productions. Does the animation contribute to or detract from the story in any way? Do you notice any character changing from one to the other? Do you think this is intentional? If so, why might it have been done?

  • What are some of your other favorite Marvel characters? Do you have a favorite villain? Why is it fun to imagine the world differently from how it is?

TV Details

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