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Is she old enough? (1 Viewer)

Bob McLaughlin

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I want to take my daughter to her first theatrical movie (we're planning on seeing Wall-E). She is 2 years and 9 months old but is fairly movie savvy already thanks to Daddy's dedicated home theater. She can sit still for a long time and doesn't talk through the movie, which is more than most kids (or adults) can say.

However, I have a few misgivings...will the movie (particularly the previews) be too loud? At home I can control the volume but I'll be at the mercy of the theater's volume. Is hearing damage something to worry about? Would it be overprotective to bring along earplugs?

Also, does anyone know if Wall-E is going to be rated G? If not, without major spoilers, is there anything that might scare her? She handled the wildebeest stampede scene in "The Lion King" without being scared, but she made me stop "The Dark Crystal" because the Skeksis got too scary for her.
 

Bob McLaughlin

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Thanks guys. I may head to the drugstore to see what kind of earplugs they have, just in case it's too loud.
 
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Be careful you might already get her into audio. Next she is going to want her own home theater in her room:) :) It should be fine for young ones, and your home theater is probably louder as well. Im sure they do not play it to loud because there is going to be little ones.
 

Malcolm R

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Hard to tell about the volume. I've found the sound level to be wildly inconsistent from theater to theater.

Though maybe some crank it up to try and cover up the other kids who can't keep quiet. ;)
 

mattCR

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Please make sure and go to a matinee show. That's important, it's more kids, so the audience will be more tolerant if she fusses or wants to leave for a bit. We do it with ours. I have no problem with her going, I just always worry about parents who take their kids to 5PM/7PM/9PM shows. Those kids are winding down their day and tend to be more fussy, prone to cry. And the audience really isn't that tolerant.

The perfect audience for a young kid is the Saturday 11AM matinee. It's a perfect crowd, it's the right time, and it's a lot less pressure on parents to manage. :)

JMHO, though.
 

Scott Merryfield

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The volume may be a concern. We were at a hockey game this past season (local team in the Ontario Hockey League), and the loud pre-game music sent a toddler (probably 2-3 years old) in front of us into a crying fit. The poor father had to leave the game before it ever started, as he couldn't sooth the unfortunate kid. We felt sorry for the guy, since I'm sure he was looking forward to enjoying a special moment with his young son.

I'm sure such an occurrence is rare, as I've never seen it at any other games we've been to. However, better to be forewarned that it could happen.
 

DaveF

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Well, at least you're not alone in your thinking. Friends are taking their 2 1/2 year old son to see Wall-E for his first movie. :)
 

DavidJ

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I think she is old enough and we are planning on taking our daughter to see it, but it won't be her first. She does well at sitting and watching without too much restlessness. Ratatouille was an exception (in retrospect she was a bit too young at the time and it is not the best of the Pixar movies for kids), but that was more a product of the theater screwing up by feeding a preview package for an R-rated film into the theater. Then everyone had to switch theaters to get the right movie going quicker. This 20 minute delay killed us and other families. Come to think of it, you might want to skip as much of the pre-show trailers and commercials as possible.

I wholeheartedly agree with Matt's suggestion above. A Saturday morning showing is a great time to see it and you should be around an understanding and tolerant audience. Since it is a G-rated animated flix, I would expect most of the audience to be fairly tolerant, but the later the showing the fewer the kids and I'm sure many will be attending at those times hoping to avoid a showing with many kids.
 

brentl

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I know that in Southern Ontario the Cineplex theatres offer a "kids in strollers" type of thing, where the volume is way down compared to evening shows.

You might look into seeing if they offer this type of event.

Brent
 

Bob McLaughlin

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They haven't posted movie times yet for local theaters, but I will definitely try to get one of those early showings--10 AM would be ideal. I also bought some earplugs for her and she tried them on and liked them (or at least she liked the fact that I bought something just for her!) If the sound is too loud for her, I can just pop 'em in. At any rate I'll have them for fireworks on the Fourth!

I'm excited to see how she reacts to the whole experience: the big promotional stands in the lobby, the posters, the sights, the sounds, the smells.
 

Greg_R

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A full auditorium will soak up the sound. Also sit toward the back (it's louder up front because you're closer to the speakers).
 

RickER

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Glad i am not the only one who saw the title and thought, hey...what do we have here!

But anyway, if she can be good, take her!
When i was a kid, dad took us to the drive in. Course thats not an easy option now.
 

Adam Lenhardt

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Are there kiddie showings in your area, Bob? I know theaters in my area have had "Mommy & Me" showings etc. where parents are encouraged to bring their infant/toddlers. If not, you'll probably get the same experience with that 10 AM matinee anyway.
 

Paul D G

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She should be fine. My oldest's first movie was HERBIE FULLY LOADED (i know, i would have preferred something else, but he was car crazy at the time and there wasn't anything else on the horizon). He sat dead still the entire movie, apart from the occasional laugh. I thought he didn't like it but as soon as he was out of the theatre he exploded in chatter and talked about the movie the entire drive home.

On the flip side we took my 3 yr old to see his first proper movie - HORTON HEARS A WHO - and he was restless and antsy through it. This isn't a surprise with him, tho. He did, however, freak out during the ICE AGE 2 trailer. There's a T Rex that jumps on the screen with a huge roar. It took him a while to calm down after that so you might want to be ready for that.

The first show on a Sat morning is your best choice. That's when we went to see Horton and there weren't many people in the theatre, but the lobby was swarming with kids when we left.

-paul
 

george kaplan

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We took our son to his first movie (Monsters Inc.) when he was 18 months old and it was great. If you have a kid who can watch a movie at home in one sitting, there shouldn't be a problem.
 

DavidJ

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If you are concerned about the loudness, you could always bring a SPL meter to check the levels. I've considered it before. I mean you've got to have one right? Isn't it a requirement for posting on the Home Theater Forum? :)
 

Bob McLaughlin

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You mean this one? Yes, I have it. My guess is if you pulled one of these out in a theater, you'd get ushered out on suspicion of video piracy!
 

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