Ivy & Bean Parent Guide

Boisterous and imaginative Bean (Madison Skye Validum) loves getting messy, being loud, and going on adventures. She has no time for tidy bookworms like Ivy (Keslee Blalock), who just moved into the neighborhood. But when fate pushes the two girls together, they’ll both learn not to judge a book by its cover.

Ivy & Bean is the first of three short Netflix movies based on the popular novels of the same name. I only watched this one, but I imagine the other two are very similar in tone and overall suitability for family viewing.

Remember being a little kid when all of your play and imaginings felt completely real? This movie perfectly captures that feeling. The production oozes imagination and wonderment. The world around the titular characters feels authentic to how I remember my perceptions as a young child. There is something so refreshing about a story devoid of adult cynicism.

I have no major complaints about the production, which demonstrates surprisingly high quality for such a short runtime. Some of the acting from the adults is a little cheesy, but I think that was done on purpose to complement the childlike tone. The child actors aren’t perfect, but that’s to be expected with a young cast.

With no negative content aside from some minor name calling, this is a great choice for youthful audiences. Aside from the imaginative adventure, the girls also learn a lesson about the importance of getting to know someone instead of making assumptions. This is a production for elementary school aged kids, so don’t expect your teenagers to enjoy it, but Ivy & Bean is sure to be a hit with kids (and their parents!).