What is Beasts of the Southern Wild's IQ Score?

Beasts of the Southern Wild has an IQ Score of 158/200 on TV Intelligentsia's Intelligence Quotient framework, placing it in the Stimulating tier. The score breaks down to 40/50 Cognitive Stimulation, 36/50 Educational Value, and 44/50 Craft & Quality.

Is Beasts of the Southern Wild educational?

Beasts of the Southern Wild is strong on educational value, 36/50 on TVI's rubric, which covers academic content, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, life skills, and knowledge transfer.

How does TV Intelligentsia calculate IQ Score?

TV Intelligentsia's IQ Score is calculated as round((Cognitive Stimulation × 0.4 + Educational Value × 0.35 + Craft & Quality × 0.25) × 4), scoring titles from 0 to 200 across five tiers: Masterclass (≥160), Stimulating (≥130), Competent (≥100), Passive (≥70), and Numbing (<70). The framework is published at tvintelligentsia.com/methodology/.

Beasts of the Southern Wild , IQ Score 158/200

Beasts of the Southern Wild has an IQ Score of 158/200 on TV Intelligentsia's Intelligence Quotient rubric, placing it in the Stimulating tier.

By Jordan Robinson, MD, MPH·Updated 2026-06-17·Methodology

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158/ 200

Stimulating

Consistently challenges the viewer and rewards attention

Score Breakdown

Cognitive Stimulation/50

Educational Value/50

Craft & Quality/50

IQ = round((Cognitive × 0.4 + Educational × 0.35 + Craft × 0.25) × 4) · How we score →

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Why you should trust this score

Scored under Jordan Robinson, MD, MPH

Physician and founding editor. Maintains the adult catalog against the published rubric and reviews the rubric application.

Methodology

Published rubric, v1.2

Formula

round(C × 0.40 + E × 0.35 + Q × 0.25) × 4

Database scale

2,338 titles, version-controlled

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The TVI Take

Benh Zeitlin's 2012 Louisiana bayou fable, six-year-old protagonist Hushpuppy played by Quvenzhané Wallis. Zeitlin and Lucy Alibar adapted Alibar's stage play, retaining its mythic register.

The film is an argument about how children build cosmologies from environmental collapse, scored by Zeitlin and Dan Romer.

Where to Watch

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