Movies with Mia: Madagascar 3


Guess what I did Sunday morning? Besides eat left over birthday cake (his not mine) for breakfast, we thought we'd give this whole theatrical trip another test and took Mia to see the third Madagascar film, which seemed to be more of an experiment for me as the parent. Oh, how the tables have turned.

I was a bit scared at first, because when I asked her if she wanted to go to a movie with a giraffe, hippo, zebra and lion, she got really excited and shouted "The Lion King!" Um, no sweetie, that ship sailed last year when you were too little for the theater. After that I was praying this wasn't going to be another Pirate Piggies debacle.

So we get to the theater and I buy her the Madagascar promotional snack pack, because after all, popcorn is the Mia Buffer. As long as she eats it during the movie, she's relatively quiet and still. Brad accompanied us this time too, which is the Rachel Buffer when the Mia Buffer runs out.

We actually walked in right as the movie started, so she didn't have to sit through trailers, which makes her super antsy. Of course I saw the audience and immediately became nervous, as it was the biggest we've encountered so far. It was only a third full, but more than I expected. Thankfully, nobody likes the far side aisle seats, but I have found them most useful for small children, especially when there is three of us and only four seats in the row, guaranteeing no strangers will occupy that last seat.

All was going pretty well and the film at least captured her attention this time. Of course at one point, she decided to start naming all the colors she saw on screen...in Spanish. Though I hate to quash her love of the language, ssshhhing commenced.

Then the unthinkable happened: she stopped eating her popcorn! There was plenty left, but she didn't want it anymore. My heart rate increased as I went into panic mode, since we weren't even halfway through the 85 minute runtime. I sat with my pulse racing, fearing what would come next. But she just sat there watching the movie, drinking her Sprite, not talking or squirming. Eventually there was some "musical lap" playing (first Brad's lap, then my lap, then Brad's lap, and so on), but nothing completely disruptive, unlike the kid a few seats away who decided to get up and dance to all the cheesy pop songs. Oh, and eating of the popcorn did eventually resume.

Overall, things turned okay, much better than The Pirates! experiment. Unfortunately, she didn't seem to care. She might have giggled a time or two, but there wasn't that look of fascination that seeing Beauty and the Beast gave her. She seemed to be enduring the film more than anything, and that makes me a little sad. I know they can't all be winners (and Madagascar 3 wasn't) but she's a kid, and kids love talking animals, right? Don't get me wrong: I'm grateful she was well behaved, but I also want her to enjoy going to the movies as well, and we didn't reach that this time.

This particular experiment held another purpose: testing me, the parent, at a kids' film that I didn't give a crap about. I haven't seen any of the Madagascar films, I had no idea who the characters were or what the plot was, and I didn't care to know. However, I had to refrain from whipping out my phone to play Words with Friends or finish another episode of Breaking Bad. It was an exercise in testing my own patience of sitting through a movie that held zero interest for me, for the sake of my child's (pseudo) entertainment, which in the end is beneficial since there will many more years to come of such situations. Ya know, having family time while setting a good example and all that jazz.

9 comments:

  1. Rachel,

    I'm new to your blog, so I have to ask how old Mia is?

    My son (eight) has accompanied me to somewhere in the vicinity of 50-60 movies. His first movie was Curious George, and he was a mere 2.5 years old. He sat through the entire movie eating his popcorn, drinking his milk or juice and occasionally glancing in my direction for a smile. Transformers was his first non-animated film, as well as his first film of over 2 hours and the experience was equally as pleasant. I realized then that he was a young movie buff in the making. I've yet to be proven wrong. Most of my experiences in bringing my kids to movies have been positive ones.

    My oldest daughter (six) hasn't quite provided me with the same experiences. She is a "girly girly" in every sense of the word. She loves dresses, having her nails painted, Barbies and all of the Disney princesses. The first movie I took her to see, by herself, was The Princess and the Frog. She didn't want to sit still, wanted popcorn, didn't want popcorn, had to use the bathroom, and (even worst) wouldn't stop talking. I swore that I wouldn't take her to see another movie until she was 18! Of course that was never going to happen, and she's seen at least 15-20 movies, mostly with the family. I've learned that regardless of whether it's a film she will probably like (i.e. Tangled), she just doesn't have the attention span or self-discipline to contain herself for that long a period of time, which is okay.

    I love the movies, just about all movies. It makes me infinitely happy that my son seems to have inherited my love of film. He tells me that when he gets older, he and I will always go to the movies together. As unlikely as it may be, it's a thought that brings a smile to my face. As for the my daughter, she may never be a movie fan...but I'm sure that she'll appease me at times, and go with me just to make me happy; and that's perfectly fine by me as well. Good or bad, I cherish that time spent with them.

    As for Madagascar 3, my wife and I took the 2 oldest to see it and all of us really enjoyed the movie; my wife and kids are big fans of the first two as well. I just don't want to hear that D*$N Afro-Circus song any longer!

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    1. Welcome, Joe! Mia is 3 and a half and it sounds like she's more in tune with your daughter's outlook on movies. I'm thinking Mia takes after her father more when it comes to film. I also think a big part of it is repetition and familiarity. We had a great time at the re-release of Beaty and the Beast because she'd watched it on dvd 20 times by then, so she knew the characters and songs so well. Before we see Brave in a couple weeks, I think I'll sit her down at the computer and play all the trailers and clips I can find for her and see if she still has an interest.

      That's pretty cool your son has been that good at such a young age in the theater. Quite impressive. Of course, if Mia were that well behaved, these posts would probably be rather dull to write and read.

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    2. Hi Rachel! I agree with you that familiarity and repetition seems to aid in getting her to maintain her focus. We too had a great time at the Beauty and the beast re-release for the exact same reason. My daughter (Gianna) has seen the Brave trailers repeatedly, so I'm hopeful of a pleasant experience.

      Yes, I think it's really cool that he has taken to movies so well. I don't think your posts would be dull to write and read, because I've been pleasantly surprised by the things that he (J) says about each movie. He knows that I write my reviews and talk about every movie I see, so he gives his thoughts after each movie. He'll tell me that he doesn't think most kids his age would like something, may find something a little scary, and all sorts of opinions. I told him that as soon as he improves his writing abilities, I'll start putting his reviews up.

      I look forward to your next movie going experience with Mia. :)

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  2. Maybe she just has good taste, Rachel, and knows when a movie is worth paying attention to and/or liking?

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    1. I would agree with you, but the kid loves Barney. I hate that damn purple dinosaur.

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  3. Has she seen any live-action films yet?

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    1. Nope. She gets into live-action television shows, but it's the repetition and getting to know the characters that holds her attention. She adores Sheldon from Big Bang Theory.

      We haven't had the nerve to try a live action film yet though. I'll probably wait awhile on that one. I think the only one we own that would be accetpable is The Princess Bride, and I feel she would lose interest quickly. But I could be wrong as she tends to surprise me.

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  4. I continue to love these. I wish I had done it with my son when he first went as well. It may not have been as interesting though. He tends to love almost anything movie-wise, which excites me. At least I will always have someone to go to the movies with.

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    1. These are fun to write. I just hope they don't get boring an repetitive, but hopefully there are plenty of years before that happens, and by then, instead of writing about our experience at the movie, she can just give her thoughts on it herself.

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