Published: 15th March 2021

U, PG and 12 rated Oscar nominated films you can watch online

The 2021 Oscar nominations are in, and we've rounded up the family friendly films that you can stream online now.

Whether you’re into documentaries, animation or drama – there is something for everyone in this years Oscar nominations. Here’s a round up of U, PG and 12A/12 rated films, that you can watch together as a family. All these films are available to stream online now. 

My Octopus Teacher

references to violence, injury detail, language, threat, animals hunting

A filmmaker forges an unusual friendship with an octopus living in a South African kelp forest, learning as the animal shares the mysteries of her world.

Onward

mild threat, very mild bad language

Onward is an animated fantasy adventure in which two elf brothers attempt to bring magic back to their world from which it has disappeared.

Threat and horror

There are action scenes in which the heroes find themselves in threatening and dangerous situations. These include being caught up in a burning building, chased by a pixie biker gang, attempting to cross a wide chasm, dodging booby traps in a cave and battling a dragon creature. There is also occasional threat from weapons wielded by unsympathetic characters, such as a bottle and bike chains, but no undue emphasis is placed on them.

Language

There is very mild bad language such as 'screw up', 'screwed up', 'dang it', 'son of a...' and 'what the...'.

The film's story involves the young heroes coming to terms with the death of their father. The issue of death and bereavement is handled sensitively and in a reassuring manner.

Emma 

brief natural nudity

Emma is a period romantic comedy drama, based on a novel by Jane Austen, in which a young woman convinced of her superiority plays matchmaker within her social circle.

Nudity

A man's naked buttocks are briefly when he changes outfits.

There is brief sight of blood on a woman's face after her nose bleeds.

Soul

mild bad language, fantasy threat

Soul is a US animated fantasy in which a music teacher is suddenly transported out of his own body and must fight to find his way back to his life.

Language

There is infrequent mild bad language ('crap'), as well as milder terms, such as 'God' and 'butt'.

Threat

There are scenes of mild fantasy threat, in which characters find themselves in another realm that controls life and death. The main protagonist dies, but this is comically presented, without any detail of injury, and he is immediately transformed into a colourful blob-like state. Other scenes contain darker blob-like beings, which initially appear threatening, but do not bring about any harm. There is also a scene in which a character is surrounded by looming figures who make belittling comments but the emphasis is on the resourcefulness of the protagonist to help rescue them both.

There is very mild rude humour, including a scene in which a man's face comes very close to a cat's behind.

Pinocchio

scary scenes, mild violence

Pinocchio is an Italian fantasy adventure in which a wooden puppet seeks to become a real boy.

Villains chase the puppet through a night-time landscape and, it is implied, hang him from a tree, where we see him dangling, unhurt. Two characters are frightened by their sudden transformation into donkeys. Villains drown a donkey by attaching it to a rock and throwing it into the sea, where it is reincarnated as Pinocchio. Pinocchio, swimming in the sea, is pursued by a whale and swallowed.

A teacher hits his pupils' hands with a ruler. In a comic scene, the puppet throws a hammer at a friend.

There are upsetting scenes when villains are cruel to a donkey.

Mank

infrequent strong language, moderate sex references, suicide references

Mank is a US biopic drama in which Herman J. Mankiewicz works with Orson Welles to develop the 1941 film, Citizen Kane.

There is infrequent strong language ('f**k'), accompanied by milder terms, such as 'whore', 'bastard', 'bollocks', 'balls', 'piss', 'ass', 'asshole', 'bullshit', 'shit', 'hell', 'Jesus', 'God' and 'damn'.
Sex references include a man admitting to "diddling all the ladies", which is accompanied by a rude hand gesture.

It is implied, off-screen, that a man takes his own life. This scene is accompanied by other undetailed references to suicide.

There is partial breast nudity as a woman, donning sparkly nipple tassels, sits in an office full of men. There are also references to alcohol addiction, including sequences in which a man is inebriated after bouts of heavy drinking.

Tenet

moderate violence, threat, domestic abuse, infrequent strong language

Tenet is a sci-fi thriller in which a man is enlisted to stop an evil plot involving futuristic technology.

There is infrequent strong language ('f**k'), as well as milder terms including 'bitch', 'bullshit', 'bloody' and 'piss'.

There are frequent tense sequences in which people are in dangerous situations, come under fire, or attempt to evade bombs. In one scene terrorists take over an auditorium and there is brief distress among the audience. There is also a scene in which an abusive husband holds his wife at gunpoint, and threatens to beat her with his belt.

Scenes include gunfights, fistfights, stabbings, use of improvised weapons, and explosions. In an interrogation scene it is implied a man's teeth are pulled out, but bloody detail is minimal. Another man is beaten to death, but the scene does not feature strong detail. A man verbally threatens another man with castration. A husband is abusive towards his wife, threatening her and later shooting her. In one scene she aims a gun at him, but he disarms and punches her. His behaviour is implicitly criticised throughout.

Discreet references are made to suicide and discriminatory behaviour. There are also mild sex references.

Mulan

moderate violence

Mulan is an action fantasy war film in which a young woman disguises herself as a man to fight for the Chinese Emperor in a battle against an invading army.

Violence

There are frequent scenes of battle violence. The battle scenes are prolonged and intense and include sight of people fighting with swords and bows and arrows, as well as hand-to-hand combat. Dead bodies are shown lying on the ground in the aftermath of battles. There is occasional sight of blood and injury in the aftermath of violence.

There are infrequent mild sex references and innuendo. There is gender discrimination directed towards the main character, but she challenges and overturns such attitudes which are clearly not condoned by the film as a whole.