Kids and Movies: How Young is Too Young?

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

08 Nov 2008 10:47 PM

My 4-year-old daughter has been eagerly counting down the days until the release of "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa." We have the original on DVD, and frankly I'm surprised the movie's images haven't been permanently seared on our TV screen given the amount of times she's watched it.

The DreamWorks movie about Central Park Zoo animals that end up in Madagascar (and in the sequel-Africa) is age appropriate for children ages 3 and up (at least in my opinion), which is why I didn't think twice about shelling out $15 to take my lion/hippo/zebra/giraffe/monkey/penguin/lemur-loving child to an actual movie theater to see the animated sequel.

Yesterday was the big day. We went to the 1 p.m. "ultra-screen" showing (the screen is supposedly three times larger than average movie screens) and took our seats towards the back of the crowded theater.

I should mention that this was not my daughter's first trip to the movie theater. She's been a few times prior to see "Surf's Up," "The Wild," and "Charlotte's Web." Still, she sat on my lap the entire time with her hoodie pulled over her ears (did I mention the "ultra screen" is also three times louder than the average theater?). She saw the movie once and can already recite practically every line in the film.

Don't ask me to recite a single word. I was too busy watching the irritated mother in front of me try to keep her cool while the toddler in front of her used his seat as a trampoline... and a jungle gym... and private stage for singing and dancing. The rambunctious tot looked to be about 2 years old and the woman seated directly behind him looked to be about ready to strangle the kid's mother mid-way through the movie.

I couldn't help but feel sorry for the woman who was there with her own children. There's no way she could have gotten a clear view of the screen with the boy bouncing up and down on his seat. What's more, even though I was three rows behind him I could clearly hear the toddler asking his mom (who, by the way, was completely oblivious that her son was standing on his seat) a million questions (in his outside voice) about what was happening on screen, and why it was that his older sister had her own box of popcorn and he didn't.

Should the boy's mother escorted him out of the theater given the fact that he was clearly more interested in using his seat as a pogo stick than sitting in it to watch the movie? The woman seated directly behind them would have likely answered with an emphatic "yes."

Perhaps, the mom considered doing so, but was worried about leaving her other kids alone in the theater. Who knows? If nothing else she should have tried to place the antsy tot in her lap or gently coax him back on his bottom, though I'm not sure how well that would have gone over given his spunky disposition.

What would you have done if you were the boy's mother? What if you were the poor woman seated behind him? How would you have reacted? I'm sure she didn't leave the theater feeling as though she got her money's worth.

At what age should a child be allowed to watch a movie in a real theater?

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Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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deedee1231 (4030) 09 Nov 2008 07:17 AM

My husband and I have always, always taken unruly children out of a theater. We take turns. I took the twins out of the theater during Polar Express, because they would not settle down and watch. I walked around the mall with them while my husband sat with the other two in the theater. We didn't take them back for a while, but then we took them to a few Pixar or Dreamworks type things and they behaved beautifully.

My kids LOVE Shrek, especially the twins, so when Shrek II was in theaters, and they had been doing well at the movies we decided it would be a great outing. The twins were horrible! I was shocked that they wouldn't sit still and watch. My husband took them to a park and I called him to pick the rest of us up when it was over.

I think it shows pretty bad manners to sit in a crowded theater with a child jumping around and causing a ruckus. If the ticket price is the concern, most theaters will give you a refund if you leave before the halfway point of the film.

Michele Cheplic (37236) 10 Nov 2008 02:16 AM

I'm with you deedee, and btw, you have a point about ticket prices, I was shocked at the price for a matinee. Kids should be able to get a seat for less than $5. I paid nearly $7 for my child--and she sat on my lap the entire time.

drdad (503) 10 Nov 2008 08:09 AM

My daughter saw Curious George at 18 months with her best friend and family and sat entranced. But we had to leave a few movies out of boredom.

Samual (11722) 10 Nov 2008 12:02 PM

Mikey is nearly five and he has been to the cinema once to see Wall-e, Jamie is two and hes never been, he can't watch a fifteen minute episode of Thomas so I don't see him lasting nearly two hours in a film.

Michele Cheplic (37236) 11 Nov 2008 05:43 AM

I think the child's personality is a better predictor of whether they can sit nicely for an entire movie than his/her age.