P has been an avid movie goer since birth. Since Mom and Dad like movies, we have always believed it was important to take her to the movies. We've taken her to age appropriate ones of course which equals a lot of animated films. A good friend of mine, shared some advise from his mother with me when P was 3 months old. He said his mother always said "Children do not learn how to behave unless you take them out in public and show them how they are supposed to behave." This advise has always stuck with me and which is one of the reasons I like to give P so many experiences.
Ever since we saw Ghostbusters (she begged us to see that one because of her love of "ghosts" and spent 6 months watching the movie trailer on her iPad) we have been taking her to more and more live action films which is good for Mom because then I am not stuck watching 90% animated films like I have been doing for the last 4 years. Not that animated films are bad just, you know, a film lover likes variety.
One our "last days of summer" films was Pete's Dragon. I wasn't overly excited to see this and put it off for a bit because the 1970's animated film from Disney is just so horrible. I don't think I have ever made it through the whole film to this day. P of course, was interested, as she had seen movie advertisements on children's uTube which she loves watching and often asks me to see things she seen advertised.
Since Disney had done a pretty good job of retelling old stories (aka The Jungle Book) I took her to a little theatre in a nearby small town. Tickets for brand new reclinable chairs were $11 bucks which is cheap by LA standards. P loves the reclinable chairs because it gives her a chance to climb over a lot more area then a standard theatre chair. Add in a bunch of popcorn and she is entertained purely by her surroundings. The movie is a bonus!
As for the movie, Pete's Dragon is a trip down old time-y Disney memory lane. It's like Swiss Family Robinson or Pollyanna. Very sweet in nature. It was a huge release but could have easily been a small release due to the nature of how the film was shot. When you watch this one you aren't made to feel like you are watching a big blockbuster but rather a small intimate film. The movie takes you an adventure and reminds you of the movies of your youth. The dragon and the children are just lovable. You come to care for Pete an the big ole fuzzy dragon. Overall, it's an excellent movie for kids but be warned, I heard from some momma's that their kids were scared due to some of the intense dragon action and that the orphan storyline was overly powerful for some kids.
P did have some questions but they were just questions. I know a lot of moms who shy away from films with serious stories but I say, how are they ever going to learn about the world if you don't show it to them? If you look back, most Disney films end up with the kids being orphans. Mr. Disney must have felt like an orphan growing up or fantasized about being one. I know his bringing up was quite difficult, having a father who worked him in not sonic conditions most of his youth but he turned that hardship into one of the most recognized and beloved brands of all times. Life isn't always roses, so kids, while you generally want them to be happy, need to know the good and the bad so that they can make sense of the world and perhaps come to the conclusion that hard experiences shape us into better human beings. I personally, like seeing my daughter trying to process a new concept. It's fun watching her work "the equation" out in her head.
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