Cats age rating: How old do you have to be to see Cats? Is it suitable for children?

Cats has gone from Boradway and the West End to the big screen, thanks to Tom Hooper’s newest release starring Taylor Swift and Dame Judi Dench. The film has received a pretty harsh response from critics, but fans will be lining up to get to the movie with its release.

How old do you have to be to see Cats?

According to the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) the film has a U certificate, meaning it is suitable for audiences ages four years and over.

But there are also some extra guidelines to help parents with children work out whether Cats is suitable for their own children, as it can be hard to predict what could upset any particular child.

In the BBFC’s ratings info for Cats, there are specific guidelines about moments within Cats which could be upsetting.

***Warning – Cats spoilers ahead***

READ MORE: Jennifer Hudson weight loss: Actress reveals secret to trimming down by 80 pounds

The ratings info reads: “There are some moments of very mild threat, including a sequence in which a cat is trapped in a room as a dog approaches and scenes in which cats are kidnapped by a ‘criminal’ cat and threatened with having to walk the plank into the Thames.

“There is a scene set in a graveyard at night. However, the scene is atmospheric rather than scary and features singing cats.

“Another sequence features a theatre cat delivering anecdotes about acting, which includes lightning flashing as he explains his role as a ‘Fiend’ in a play.

“However, the scene is comic rather than frightening.

“There are moments of mild rude humour, including a cat relieving herself in a sink, a reference to a cat’s high voice suggesting he may have been ‘neutered’, and some images outside a theatre stating that a stage show features ‘Girls!’.

“There is no further explanation of the nature of the show and no accompanying visual detail.

“A ‘criminal’ cat is referred to as a “monster of depravity” but only to indicate his ‘criminal’ nature.

“In one scene, it is suggested a cat is about to refer to another using mild bad language (“ba…”) but the word is not completed and simply runs into the cat’s actual name, ‘Bustopher’.

“In one scene, cats walk along a railway line at night, but this is in the context of telling the story of a railway cat in a song and there is no suggestion that walking on a railway line is safe for humans.”

Cats follows the same story as the original stage play, from Andrew Lloyd Webber, with a couple of small amendments to the story.

In this version, there is a lead cat who guides the story, called Victoria, as she meets and is introduced to all of the cats in the story.

Cats is in cinemas now