BLACK BEAUTY (2020)
An affectionate horse story with tender moments and a mixed worldview.
Should You Watch It?
BLACK BEAUTY is a sweet, touching, entertaining movie with appealing characters and beautiful cinematography. Its emotional center is the bond between a young girl and a mustang, built on kindness and mutual respect. The film also values reconciliation within a family and compassionate care for animals.
The worldview is mixed. The story stresses physical beauty in animals and landscapes, idealistic dreaming, and an emotional love for poetry. It also includes light environmentalist ideas and New Age language about a horse’s “mustang spirit” and going toward the sky when death comes.
Those elements call for discernment, especially with younger children. But the movie’s tenderness, moral themes, and entertainment value make it a worthwhile choice for older children and adults.
For family viewing, choose it if you are ready to discuss both its kindness and its mixed ideas.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESA young mustang grows up roaming freely before humans capture her and place her with a horse trainer. After the trainer’s orphaned niece, Jo, comes to live with him, Jo and the horse form a bond built on care and respect.
The mustang, whom Jo names Beauty, encounters new people, animals, and owners as her life changes. Through it all, she continues to hope that she and Jo will one day find their way back to each other.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means this is a particularly appealing family drama. BLACK BEAUTY is sweet, touching, and tender, with lots of entertainment value. Its characters are appealing, and its cinematography is beautiful.
The film focuses on the animal as protagonist, similarly to The Call of the Wild. Kate Winslet’s voice-over narration may deter some older viewers, but it should not prevent children from appreciating the movie.
The Worldview
BLACK BEAUTY presents a mixed worldview. It strongly emphasizes physical beauty in animals and landscapes, idealistic dreaming by the horse, and an emotional love for poetry. These Romantic elements are balanced by moral strengths: family members seek reconciliation after estrangement, and a man treats animals with care and kindness.
The film also contains light environmentalist elements, including a young girl’s desire to replace “breaking a horse” with “partnering.” A horse speaks of the value of her “mustang spirit” and going toward the sky when death comes, adding a New Age element. “Silent Night” also plays in the background during one scene.
At its best, the film honors kindness, responsibility, and reconciliation. Those themes align with Scripture’s call to restore relationships and show mercy. “Bear with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other” (Colossians 3:13).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements
Strong Romantic worldview stresses physical beauty in animals and landscapes and some idealistic dreaming on the part of a horse, along with an emotional love for poetry, mitigated by some strong moral elements where family members look to reconcile their estranged relationship, and a man tends after animals with care and kindness, some light politically correct environmentalist elements that stress the value of animals include a young girl wants to change the phrase “breaking a horse” to “partnering,” “Silent Night” plays in the background in one scene, and some New Agey elements when a horse mentions the value of her “mustang spirit” and going toward the sky when death comes
Foul Language
No obscenities and four light profanities and a couple vulgarities
Violence
Strong and light violence includes mention of a couple dying in a car wreck, some intense moments while training a young mustang horse but nothing that shows blood, girl pushes a classmate into a barbell of hay but she emerges unscathed, horse gets spurred too hard which breaks her skin, horse steps on a rock, grown men get a bit pushy with a horse, but the horse fairs well
Sex
No sex, but a man kisses a woman on the cheek, and a dating couple kiss on the lips
Nudity
Naturalistic animal nudity
Alcohol Use
Adults drink at a social gathering
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse
No smoking or drug abuse, but a horse gets medication after getting sick;
Miscellaneous Immorality
Bullying, mistreatment of animals but rebuked, and young girl is a bit terse towards her uncle after the loss of her parents, but her attitude changes by the close of the movie.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Beauty experiences both kindness and mistreatment. What does it look like to care for creatures entrusted to us?
Proverbs 12:10 · Genesis 1:26–28Jo and her uncle must move toward reconciliation after painful loss. What makes reconciliation difficult, and what can help repair a relationship?
Colossians 3:13 · Romans 12:18The film connects “beauty” with animals and landscapes. How can we appreciate God’s creation without treating beauty as the highest good?
Psalm 19:1 · 1 Samuel 16:7The movie uses language about a “mustang spirit” and going toward the sky after death. How should Christians respond when a story’s comforting ideas about death differ from Scripture?
John 11:25–26 · Hebrews 9:27The Final Word
BLACK BEAUTY offers beautiful cinematography, appealing characters, and a tender story about kindness, care, and reconciliation. Its mixed worldview calls for discernment, but older children and adults can find much to appreciate. For your family, the answer is WORTH THE TRIP — OLDER CHILDREN AND ADULTS.
