Intermediate Aged Media Recommendations

Need some ideas for a movie day for Schools’ Pride Week Aotearoa?

Nimona (2023)

Netflix

Based on a comic by the same name, Nimona is an animated fantasy adventure set in a futuristic medieval world.

It follows a shapeshifting teenager named Nimona, who partners with a gay knight named Ballister Blackhheart after he is framed for a crime. As the unlikely duo team up to clear Blackheart’s name, they uncover a conspiracy that threatens their entire society.

Delving into themes of bigotry, social prejudice, identity and transformation, Nimona’s plot is a powerful allegory for the trans experience.

Media Type Film
Genre Comedy, action, adventure, animation, fantasy
Representation Gay, genderfluid, trans
Content warnings Mild violence
Rating PG

Steven Universe The Movie (2019)

Neon

Steven thinks his time defending the Earth is over, but when a new threat comes to Beach City, Steven faces his biggest challenge yet.

Two years after bringing peace to the galaxy, Steven Universe sees his past come back to haunt him in the form of a deranged Gem who wants to destroy the Earth.

Media Type Film
Genre Family, comedy, action, adventure, animation, musical, sci-fi, drama
Representation Non-binary, lesbian, bisexual, 
Content warnings Mild violence
Rating PG

Dead End: Paranormal Park (2022)

Disney+

Two teens and a talking pug team up to battle demons at a haunted theme park and maybe even save the world from a supernatural apocalypse.

The series follows Barney and Norma, the newest employees at their local theme park, Phoenix Parks, a Dollywood-esque park created by the famous celebrity Pauline Phoenix.

Joined by Pugsley, Barney’s childhood dog, and Courtney, a thousand-year-old demon, they discover the world of the Paranormal as well as learning new things about themselves.

Media Type TV Series
Genre Family, adventure, animation, horror, fantasy, mystery
Representation Transgender, Gay
Content warnings Mild violence, character death
Rating PG

Little Apocalypse (2023)

TVNZ+

Supernatural comedy ‘Little Apocalypse’ is New Zealand’s first scripted children’s series by, for and about rainbow young people.

The Wellington-based series is breaking the stigma of how queer characters are portrayed on screen. In ‘Little Apocalypse’, kids don’t come out. They just exist as the main characters in a magical world and also happen to be queer.

With a vibrant cast of queer characters and allies, the show follows siblings Cole and teenage witch Leith, and their cheeky paranormal pal Sunny.

Media Type Tv Series
Genre Fantasy, comedy, drama
Representation Non-binary
Content warnings Character death
Rating PG

Queer and Here (2022-2025)

MĀORI+

Hosted by Aniwa Whaiapu, whose first acting role was in the Māori bilingual web series Ahikāroa, Queer and Here takes viewers on a tour of the queer community here in Aotearoa.

Aspirational and charismatic, Aniwa appears a perfect fit to host a show that aims to shine a light on “queer Māori, Pasifika and Polynesian stories” that have historically sat outside of mainstream media.

With episodes featuring many different aspects of Aotearoa’s rainbow communities and leaders. 

Media Type TV Series
Genre Documentary, Aotearoa
Representation Diverse gender identities, diverse sexualities, Takatāpui
Content warnings Transphobia, homophobia
Rating PG

Queer Aotearoa: We’ve Always Been Here (2025)

TVNZ+

Comedian Eli Matthewson hosts this dynamic six-part series revealing the untold history of New Zealand’s LGBTQI+ community. 
Explore pivotal victories in rights and visibility to the hidden spaces and stories that sustained queer culture.

Intermediate age appropriate PG episodes include:

Season 1, Episode 1
Seeing is Believing: Queer Representation in Media
A journey through the untold history of New Zealand’s queer community with Will Hansen, celebrating the resilience of trailblazers who pushed for an inclusive Aotearoa. 

Season 1, Episode 4
Beyond the Binary: Trans Stories
Exploring New Zealand’s trans history on mainstream TV for the first time, this episode introduces figures like Peter Alexander, a trans man who fled Palmerston North due to public scrutiny, and Carmen Rupe, a pioneering trans icon who paved the way for Georgina Beyer to become the world’s first trans member of parliament.

Media Type Tv Series
Genre Documentary, Aotearoa
Representation Diverse gender identities, diverse sexualities, Takatāpui
Content warnings Homophobia, transphobia
Rating PG