Mischievous or Magnificent? Peter Rabbit 2 Parent Review

Peter Rabbit 2 Parent Review and Lessons from the Peter Rabbit 2 Movie written by the Elf on 6/10/2021 This post contains affiliate links, you can find out more on our policies page or in the disclaimer at the bottom of the blog.

Know Before You Watch the Peter Rabbit 2 Movie:

Movie: Peter Rabbit 2: The Runnaway
Rating: PG
Age Suggestion: 4+
Running Time: 1 1/2 hrs.
Release Date: 6/10/2021
Themes: Family, Fame, Ambition, Mistakes, Pet Ownership
Warnings: Peter being mischievous and making bad decisions is a main theme of the movie. There’s a lot of slapstick comedy (including comedic violence) and a fair share of bathroom humor. You can find out more by going down to the section in our parent review “Is Peter Rabbit 2 Appropriate for Younger Kids?”

Quick Summary of Peter Rabbit 2

Bea and Thomas are getting married and extending the business! But Peter is feeling left out and misunderstood. Is running away going to provide what he’s looking for? Can Thomas and Peter learn to live harmoniously together? This movie is filled with mischievous laughter and marvelous family lessons- a great watch for family movie night. The director specifically wanted this to be a movie that adults and kids would enjoy and it does that well. In a very rare turn of events, I think I enjoyed Peter Rabbit 2 even more than the first movie. For a full parent review with more information on how appropriate it is for younger children, check out our full parent review below. There is a lot of slapstick comedy, but also a lot of heart in this sequel! The twist they put on the classic story is magnificently fun.

Peter Rabbit 2 Discussion Questions

1) What was the funniest scene to you?
2) Which character do you identify with most?
3) Does being mischievous ever pay off for Peter?
4) Is it easy for you to remember who you are and your value?
5) Should Bea have changed her work? Did she value her own work?
6) Which stunt was the funniest ones that adults shouldn’t try that kids could do?

Lessons from Peter Rabbit 2
& Themes to Discuss

-Irresponsible VS responsible pet ownership
-Peer pressure to do something you know is wrong. Peter both faced this and did this to his friends.
-The idea that we share things with people, especially something that won’t last long like food
-Loving more people does not equal less love. Adding a baby or good friend is a positive.
-Your work is valuable, just the way you do it
-Making mistakes and thinking things through
-Making bad choices usually doesn’t pay off the way we think it will

Peter Rabbit 2 Parent Review

*Check out these free coloring and activity sheets from Sony*

-Is Peter Rabbit 2 Appropriate for Younger Kids?-
*MINOR SPOILERS*

In the first movie you have a graphic scene where they stick a fork in an eyeball (bloodless, but still rough for littles) but there is nothing comparable in this movie. In my opinion, this is more family-friendly than the first movie. There is a lot of slapstick comedy. EG: dramatically falling down a hill, slow motion punching, being knocked over by a giant cheese roll. There’s also some humor that you wouldn’t love to be repeated endlessly at home, but not an over-the-top amount. The other thing to be wary of in this movie is that the movie very much revolves around thieving and never outright says that it is wrong- although it very much implies that it never works out for you. More than that, there are a ton of hysterical parenting jokes. And even though there is a lot of cartoon violence and mischievousness, kindness and respect are also emphasized. We’ll be taking a 3 and 6 yr old to see it and I’m not worried about either of them repeating things or getting scared.

Foster/Adoptive Parents: I was concerned going into this movie that Peter would run away because of a new baby, but that’s not how this plays out. As the director says, Peter is a mischievous teen that always finds his way back. I’m not concerned about my kiddo seeing it anymore. In fact, there are lots of opportunities for discussion about how hard getting along can be and how we are all so much more than what other people say about us or label us. However, there are a couple of inferences about orphans and a line that says something like ‘I was too old to be adopted anymore, people just want the young rabbits’. Definitely make sure to unpack the movie with your kiddos.

-Script & Story for Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway–

To be fair, I love cheesiness. But I also analyze a lot of stories and I truly think there’s some brilliance in the way that the Peter Rabbit stories have been done. It breaks the fourth wall in really clever ways. And there’s a good dose of the movie making fun of itself. My favorite in this movie was when they addressed both the British, Aussie, and American audiences. The beginning of the movie packed the same amount of engaging action as the first, if not more. And oh my word- the amount of fabulous and hilarious one-liners!!!

-Film Quality: Live Action and Animation Mix–

I can’t imagine how difficult it is to mix live-action and animation WITH animals and make it convincing! And they really do succeed! Everything looks incredibly realistic. There was one big point that I was pulled out of that and reminded just how animated it was- a sky diving deer. The cinematography is really well done. That blend of live action and animation looked seamless.

-Characters in Peter Rabbit 2-

It was like Peter Rabbit was written for James Corden y’all. He’s just such a perfect fit for the character. But it’s not just Peter that is cast well or voiced by someone famous. The casting was excellent! Rose Byrne embodies Bea in such a fun and believable way. And we love her in Instant family too!! (Find our adoptive parent review of Instant Family here!) Domhnall Gleeson is such a great slapstick comedian- he does absolutely ludicrous things and make them look SOO believable. Margot Robbie both narrates the movie and voices Flopsy beautifully. Sia even voices a fun hedgehog! The biggest switchup is that Daisy Ridley does not voice Cottontail, Aimee Horn. And the biggest addition was David Oyelowo playing the smooth-talking, sly Nigel Basil-Jones and he was amazing in this role. (We also loved him in the much more serious take on a children’s classic- Come Away). They really just aced the casting with this one!

Conclusion: We loved it and believe it was worth seeing in theaters with the kids.

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Thanks for Checking Out Our Peter Rabbit 2 Parent Review!
Before You Go- Don’t Miss These Other Posts!

-Our review of the first movie! (One of our first reviews!)

-Adoptive parent review of the movie Instant Family

-5 important lessons from Raya and the Last Dragon

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