A G-rated film, in the United States, means it is for all ages. It is a rating of the Motion Picture Association in which the organization believes is suitable for everyone, and all ages are admitted. Most G-rated films are children's movies. No content advisory is published for G-rated films. It means: General Audiences - All Ages Admitted.
Equivalent to: TV Parental Guidelines's TV-Y, TV-G and TV-Y7 and ESRB's E and the obsolete EC.
Unique cases[]
The Straight Story was rated G. The lack of any content likely to offend or harm children gave the film its G rating. Despite its G rating, there is use of very mild profanity ("damn" and "hell"). It's also worth noting that this is a David Lynch movie.
The iconic film 2001: A Space Odyssey was controversially rated G despite containing a prolonged death scene (with the victim visibly suffering as he tries to breathe), a scene with multiple deaths and intense themes; however, due to the film's slow pace, the fact that the deaths are not violent and the idea that children may not understand or recognize the deaths, it was rated accordingly.
Pixar's Cars 2 controversially received a G rating despite it containing many explosions and other scenes that may frighten young children. The film was criticized by many people due to that.
Toy Story 3 was given a G rating like the previous two movies but the MPA received calls from parents who thought was too intense for their children due to the infamous incinerator scene.
The 2024 documentary Architecton became the first G-rated film distributed by A24.
Factors[]
Violence[]
Violence must be comedic or unrealistic and doesn’t result in any real harm.
Action must not elicit feelings of anxiety. Peril should be over quickly.
Non-violent blood/injury detail can be permitted if minimal and depending of the context.
Sexual content[]
There can be no suggestive/sexual references, material or nudity. Displays of affection (e.g., kissing) can be allowed.
Fully censored or implied non-sexual nudity can be permitted but must be subtlety, briefly and infrequently displayed. References to non-sexual nudity are permitted if non-detailed, mild and depending on the context.
Language[]
G rated movies generally may not contain language that can go beyond polite conversation or any language used in a profane way, unless censored or implied, though the occasional uses of "hell" and "damn" appeared in films with the rating from as late as the 2000s, and in the earliest days of the rating system utterances as strong as "son of a b*tch" were not at all uncommon. Mild childlike name-calling is allowed.
No crude gestures even if only referenced.
Drug use[]
Alcohol abuse and tobacco usage and/or imagery is not allowed, but references can be permitted depending on the context.
Themes[]
Themes can have a low sense of threat and menace. No crude or mature thematic elements should be allowed.
Generally, material must not offend parents whose young children view the motion picture.
List[]
- List of films
- 2,430 titles as of January 11, 2026
Trivia[]
- Since the 2010s, the G rating has become the most drastically altered and toned down movie rating by the MPA. The majority of family movies are given PG ratings for content that would've been G-rated before the 2010s, regardless of the severity, frequency, or intent of the content. This push for defaulting family movies to the PG rating has affected and almost undermined what content should earn a movie a PG rating, which is primarily meant for family, educational, or general movies that contain some edgier and adult content that may be inappropriate for kids, mainly referring to beyond over-the-head levels of adult content.
Gallery[]
| Motion Picture Association film rating system |
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     Formerly used ratings: M | GP | X |