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Is she old enough?

#1
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6/23/08 at 7:02am
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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.

"I'LL SHOW YOU THE LIFE OF THE MIND!!!" - Barton Fink

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#2
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6/23/08 at 7:20am
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Re: Is she old enough?

I have warm memories of taking the kid to the theater for the 1st time. She was 2 as well but though younger than yours.

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/1434259-post27.html

You might find the whole thread useful.

I kept the tckt stub for a long time in my wallet but lost it when said wallet vanished a couple of years ago.

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#3
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6/23/08 at 7:20am
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Re: Is she old enough?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob McLaughlin
Also, does anyone know if Wall-E is going to be rated G?
Yes, it's rated G.


The man I loved - the man who vanished - he never came back at all. But maybe he's still out there, somewhere. Maybe some day, when Gotham no longer needs Batman, I'll see him again.
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#4
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6/23/08 at 9:03am
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Re: Is she old enough?

Thanks guys. I may head to the drugstore to see what kind of earplugs they have, just in case it's too loud.

"I'LL SHOW YOU THE LIFE OF THE MIND!!!" - Barton Fink

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#5
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6/23/08 at 9:20am
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Re: Is she old enough?

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.
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#6
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6/23/08 at 9:47am
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Re: Is she old enough?

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.

Uncle Joe: I'll never marry you, Selma Plout!  You may as well take off that wedding dress and put it back in your Hopeless Chest!

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#7
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6/23/08 at 9:57am
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Re: Is she old enough?

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.
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#8
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6/23/08 at 10:27am
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Re: Is she old enough?

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.
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#9
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6/23/08 at 1:49pm
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Re: Is she old enough?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob McLaughlin
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.
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.
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#10
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6/23/08 at 2:03pm
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Re: Is she old enough?

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.
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#11
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6/24/08 at 6:44am
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Re: Is she old enough?

I wasn't expecting this type of thread from reading the title.
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#12
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6/24/08 at 7:56am
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Re: Is she old enough?

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

\"I\'m on morphine and I\'m higher than a kite.\"

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#13
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6/24/08 at 11:09am
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Re: Is she old enough?

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.

"I'LL SHOW YOU THE LIFE OF THE MIND!!!" - Barton Fink

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#14
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6/24/08 at 5:10pm
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Re: Is she old enough?

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).

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#15
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6/24/08 at 8:57pm
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Re: Is she old enough?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve_Tk
I wasn't expecting this type of thread from reading the title.

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.
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#16
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6/24/08 at 8:59pm
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Re: Is she old enough?

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.
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#17
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6/25/08 at 1:36am
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Re: Is she old enough?

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
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#18
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6/25/08 at 7:14pm
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Re: Is she old enough?

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.

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#19
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6/25/08 at 10:37pm
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Re: Is she old enough?

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?
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#20
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6/26/08 at 8:14am
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Re: Is she old enough?

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!

"I'LL SHOW YOU THE LIFE OF THE MIND!!!" - Barton Fink

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#21
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6/26/08 at 9:50am
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Re: Is she old enough?

Even if it's not the kid's first movie, or even if it's not your own kid, seeing a kid friendly movie with kids is unbeatable. I saw Wallace & Gromit and Charlie & the Chocolate Factory with packed houses of other people's kids and it enhanced the movie-going experience for me personally. With my 2 nieces I saw the resent live action Charlotte's Web, with my other niece and nephew we saw Homeward Bound years ago. These are experiences I'll never forget. I remember seeing Shrek with lots of kids in the audience. Funniest thing ever was when Shrek screams at those bounty hunters at the beginning this little kid in the audience screamed bloody murder like it was scariest thing they'd ever seen. Bad choice on that one! But I'll bet Wall-E will be an excellent choice. I'll be seeing that one at the Saturday mattinee. I hope there's a lot of kids. Good luck with yours. And...earplugs are a GREAT idea. Just get weak ones so it doesn't take all the sound away.

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#22
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7/1/08 at 11:47am
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Re: Is she old enough?

Well, we saw a 10:00 AM showing of Wall-E on Saturday and my daughter loved it! She did get a little squirmy in the last 20 minutes or so (and panicked when her sandal fell off her foot and I couldn't find it right away) but overall she did very well. She got a free Wall-E watch which she wears proudly (although I'll be damned if I can get it to tell the right time) and we took her picture in front of the cardboard standup Wall-E display in the lobby.

I put in the earplugs for the previews which were pretty noisy as predicted, but I took them out for the movie itself, which was quieter.

"I'LL SHOW YOU THE LIFE OF THE MIND!!!" - Barton Fink

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#23
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7/1/08 at 11:51am
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Re: Is she old enough?

Glad it went well.
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#24
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7/2/08 at 4:37am
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Re: Is she old enough?

Success! Well, except for the sandal thing. That would freak me out too.

Real Name: Arthur Belling of "St. Looney Up-The-Cream-Bun-and-Jam"

BEAR: 1992?-2007.
GOLDIE: 1997-2008.
Still mourning my girls.

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#25
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7/2/08 at 9:31am
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Re: Is she old enough?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Radioman970
Success! Well, except for the sandal thing. That would freak me out too.
Well, too bad, honey. The Sandal Monster has got it now and he's not giving it back.

Uncle Joe: I'll never marry you, Selma Plout!  You may as well take off that wedding dress and put it back in your Hopeless Chest!

--Petticoat Junction--

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#26
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7/3/08 at 4:06am
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Re: Is she old enough?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Malcolm R
Well, too bad, honey. The Sandal Monster has got it now and he's not giving it back.
*tosses gallon-size tub of popcorn on the floor to keep him busy and darts towards the door*

Real Name: Arthur Belling of "St. Looney Up-The-Cream-Bun-and-Jam"

BEAR: 1992?-2007.
GOLDIE: 1997-2008.
Still mourning my girls.

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#27
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7/3/08 at 10:38am
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Re: Is she old enough?

I think we will be going to it tomorrow and I'm going to make sure no one is wearing sandals.
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#28
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7/7/08 at 2:57pm
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Re: Is she old enough?

Ironically, it did not go as smoothly as I hoped when we saw it on Friday. It wasn't bad or anything and our girl did pretty well, but she just wasn't taken with the movie (although she asked to got to the movies again when we drove by the theater yesterday). The wife thinks it could be because there wasn't anything easily recognizable to the kids-- not a lot of futuristic robots running around.

Despite the fact I wasn't looking forward to seeing it, we will probably try to see Kung Fu Panda before it leaves theaters. The animals seem to be a big draw.
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