I took my daughter to the cinema for the first time last week. We'd been thinking about going for a while, but wanted to wait until she was ready- and for a film to come up that would be good enough to go down in the record books as her "first ever trip to the movies". She's 2 years and 4 months, and was pretty excited about it!
Paddington is on at the Kids Club at our local picture house, (I'm thankful that I didn't have to be subjected to Peppa Pig The Movie)- which means the screening was chock full of little'uns, and I didn't have to worry about her getting bored or talking through the film. She was as much into the popcorn as she was the movie- but it was still a really proud moment for me! Her face when she saw the screen (the "Vewy big telly"), was priceless, and it's something I'll never forget.
The film itself is really great- it's based in a magical version of London and is reminiscent of great old kid's movies like Mary Poppins. It's full of imaginative, colourful images and adventure- rather than the model-looking, stick-thin portrayal of heroes too often churned out by Disney. All in all, I'd recommend it, whether you have a kid or not.
Going to a cinema that is full of children is a great experience. There were lots of collective "Ahhhh!"s and "Oh noooo!"s- they get so into it, it's fantastic. It reminded me that film is, in it's essence, a form of story telling. Which is great to be reminded of if you've been subjected to a week of cutting horse hooves in a darkened room. We're definitely going to make it a regular thing.
Have you ever taken a kid to the cinema? Or do you remember your own first visit? Here's some links to a couple of recommendations, and also an introduction to Sound for little ones...
Have a great weekend!
