Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie parents guide

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie Parent Guide

As expected, this script is full of potty humor -- but it surprises with some fresh moments of redemptive behavior.

Overall B

If you can't say anything nice about your school principal (voice of Ed Helms) -- hypnotize him! Or at least that is what two creative kids do (voiced by Kevin Hart and Thomas Middleditch). Then they turn him into a comedic superhero, and call him Captain Underpants.

Release date June 2, 2017

Violence B-
Sexual Content B+
Profanity A-
Substance Use A

Why is Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie rated PG? The MPAA rated Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie PG for mild rude humor throughout.

Run Time: 89 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

Have you ever noticed how many superheroes look like they are dressed in underwear? Well, I suspect the notion crossed the mind of Dav Pilkey, author of the Captain Underpants book series. And that may be why this animation, based on his work, features a couple of aspiring comic book creators who point to these costume choices as the inspiration for their title character.

George and Herold (voices of Kevin Hart and Thomas Middleditch) are elementary-aged kids who have been friends since kindergarten. Sharing the same sense of humor, the pals combine their separate talents for writing and art, to make hand-drawn adventure stories featuring a bald action figure in tighty-whities. The pair also likes to play pranks on their teachers as a way to cheer up their fellow students at their penitentiary-like school.

Their mischief has made them regular visitors to the office of Principal Krupp (voice of Ed Helms). Fed-up, the administrator threatens to put the hooligans in separate classrooms. To prevent him for carrying out the threat, George attempts to hypnotize him—and it works. With a mere suggestion, Principal Krupp believes he is Captain Underpants, and the boys are able to take control of his actions.

Or so they think. It turns out to be far harder to keep a leash on the eager-but-super-powerless hero. And George and Herold’s struggles to prevent the caped crusader from hurting himself, or those who get in his way, intensify when a new teacher (voice of Nick Kroll) joins the staff. Calling himself Professor P., it quickly becomes obvious the disgruntled, former scientist has evil designs for his pupils.

As is to be expected from the film’s title, this script is full, full, full of potty humor. Perhaps more of a surprise will be the violence that erupts between the boys and the vengeful Professor. While all the depictions are too ridiculous to be taken seriously, they may still be a bit frightening for young viewers.

Yet despite the fixation on toilets and a blatant disrespect for authority figures, the story does allow its characters to reconsider their motives, feel remorse for their mockery, and redeem their actions. While these positive moments won’t flush away all the shenanigans, they will likely provide enough charm to amuse older children and tweens.

Directed by Rob Letterman, David Soren. Starring Kevin Hart, Ed Helms, Thomas Middleditch, Nick Kroll, Jordan Peele, Kristen Schaal. Running time: 89 minutes. Theatrical release June 2, 2017. Updated

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie
Rating & Content Info

Why is Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie rated PG? Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie is rated PG by the MPAA for mild rude humor throughout.

Violence:
This animation features an evil teacher who has the goal of using a ray gun to deactivate the portion of a child’s brain that is responsible for humor. The teacher also uses another ray gun to make things very small or very large. The teacher threatens students with these weapons at the elementary school. These scenarios may be frightening for young children. A principal is played as very stern and harsh, however he is never violent or abusive. Two children treat their principal with disrespect, but end up discovering a better method by which they can influence him to be more kind.

Sexual Content:
There are frequent discussions of scatological and mildly crude bodily functions in a comic context, with little detail.

Profanity:
Name calling is used along with common child terms to describe bodily functions.

Alcohol / Drug Use:
None noted.

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Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie Parents' Guide

What would you have your principal do if you had complete control of him/her? What do you think your principal might chose to have you do if they had the control?

At first George and Harold find it is funny to make Principal Krupp think he is Captain Underpants. What happens to make them change their minds? While they have always seen him as their enemy, what do they learn about the man as they become more involved in his life? What are the dangers of judging a person before you get to know them well?

News About "Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie"

This movie is based on Dav Pilkey’s book series Captain Underpants.

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie movie is September 12, 2017. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie
Release Date: 12 September 2017
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie releases to home video (Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy) with the following extras:
- Featurettes
- Deleted Scenes
- Lyric Videos
- Gallery
- Tighty-Whitey Q&A with the Stars - Part 1 and Part 2

Related home video titles:

An equally strange cartoon character stars in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. A building block becomes a superhero in The LEGO Batman Movie.

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