Back to the Outback Parent Guide

In the seldom visited reptile house of an Australian zoo lives a group of animals that are marketed to visitors as ugly and dangerous. Tired of being seen as monsters, Maddie the snake (Isla Fisher), Zoe the thorny devil lizard (Miranda Tapsell), Frank the spider (Guy Pearce), and Nigel the scorpion (Angus Imrie) decide to break out of their cages and find a new home in the Outback. Perhaps out in the wild their uniqueness will be appreciated.

I’m a sucker for a “found family” story. You mean a group of misfits all found one another and now love each other unconditionally? Excuse me while I ball up in a puddle of tears. That is exactly what Back to the Outback is: a story of a group of misunderstood creatures who form a little family and learn that the character on the inside counts; not the fangs or scales on the outside. The messages are key here. Viewers learn to look past outer appearance and appreciate the uniqueness of every person (or creature) and not to fear others just because they look different. The themes are obvious but not preachy, which is a good balance for children’s media. Or, if you’re my son, you learn “to not catch venomous creatures”. We’re still working on understanding metaphors.

Overall, this is a decent movie. It’s not amazing but it’s also not bad. I enjoyed my viewing and so did my five-year-old. There are some good jokes and exciting action scenes, and the story is well paced. The voice actors all do a fine job and it’s fun to try to pick out some of the famous Australian cameos. The Australian wilderness is gorgeously animated and makes for a unique backdrop to the action.

As far as negative content is concerned there’s a little bit of swearing and some innuendo about mating season, though I imagine many of those jokes will go over children’s heads. The level of violence is pretty standard for the genre, but very sensitive children might be frightened by animals showing their fangs and claws. For a family movie night, this could be an enjoyable option. Kids will enjoy the bright colors, likeable characters, and positive messages, while parents will enjoy the humor and Australia-centric references. Having something for everyone is key to success for a family film, so it looks like this band of outcasts will find a cozy niche in Netflix’s viewing algorithms.