Cars 2

DS is obsessed with Cars right now so I was thinking of taking them to see the second one, but I'm not sure they are mature enough for this... nor do I know yet if the movie would be too scary or not.

Has anyone got any experience with 3 yo at the movies?

 

It really does depend on the child. My BF took my one DS to Tangled which was his very movie in a theature at the age of 3. He LOVED it, but I know his brother would have gotten bored after a few minutes. Even at 3 1/2, I doubt he would sit through a movie. If he see's it a few times he will, but never the first time.

All you can do is try and see what happens.

 

I'm kind of wondering the same thing as well. You just can't get away from the Cars 2 marketing machine, so my guys are aware of who the characters are, but have never seen either movie. I bought the original Cars last weekend as a potty-training distraction/reward, but never did put it in. I'm afraid that my guys will get anxious, or won't be able to sit through more than 1/2 an hour. ardon: But they have seen a very short IMAX film about animals in the theaters about 6 months ago and after some initial concerns, they enjoyed it.

(Side note: I tried to have them watch Land Before Time last week on the recommendation of someone, but my guys cried through the first 10 minutes and we had to turn it off. Who the heck is that film intended for anyway?!?! It made *me* upset!! )

ITA that it depends on the kid, and all you can do is try (and have an exit strategy)!

 

I think we're going to give it a try - the girls love Cars. We've also already started doing movie nights at home where we'll all sit with a big bowl of popcorn. We find we really have to talk them through any scary parts - usually just reminding them that everyone is going to be fine. DH tells them to hold his hand & squeeze when they get scared - that also seems to work well. I have to admit though, the things that seem to frighten them are often not the things I'm expecting to upset them. So we just go with the flow & usually they do really well.

 

Mine have been going to the movies since they were 2. We've never really had any big issues. With it being a kids movie, I think it'll be a lot more laid back and other people shouldn't have such high expectations for perfect movie going behavior. I say go for it! You may just want to talk to them about what you do at a theater (try to stay quiet or whisper if you have to, try to stay in your seat, it gets kind of dark and a bit loud, there's a big TV, etc.) just so they have a little bit of an idea of what to expect when they go in.

 

We took them to their first movie right before they turned 3. They did really well! I brought snacks for them in my backpack and Finley sat on my lap the whole time, but I took all 3 boys and it was definitely a success!

 

Cars 2 will be the first movie for my twins. I'm hoping it goes well but having no expectations :laughing: I'm actually thinking about taking one at a time since I think they do better with me one-on-one and that would be nice for me to have some time with them as well.

The advice I have been given is to bring/buy lots of snacks and to be okay with leaving early if things go downhill.

eta- I also wanted to add that my oldest would never ever sit for a movie or even a tv show at home. He still has trouble sitting through a movie at home. But he loves movies at the theater and we go see all of the new movies and have since he was about 4y. So you really can't compare to sitting at home watching a movie, thankfully

 

Definitely depends on the kid. Mine have been going to the movies since they were 2. We go to the Kidtoon Film when they play in our area once a month. It's a movie appropriate for preschool aged children, lasting about an hour or slightly more. My girls have always done well. We have also seen Princess and the Frog in the theater and Tangled. Princess and the Frog was a little too long for them.

I say at almost 3 1/2, give it a shot. If he's really in the first one, it might work out well for you.

 

I took my girls to their first movie in the theater the other day (and by myself, whoo hoo). Our theater shows kid movies that are already out on DVD a couple days a week during the summer. It was only 2 bucks each and we saw How to Train Your Dragon. I had never seen it but figured I could spare $6 if we didn't make it through. They did really well and liked the movie. They don't get scared easily either.

I don't know if we will see Cars because they aren't too interested in it but I'm pretty sure we'll go see Winnie the Pooh in July.

 

mine have been going since about 3 and except for having to PEEEEEEEEEE when the movie is over its gone well each time!

 

Mine have been going to the movies since they were 2.5 and have not had problems. They absolutely loved Tangled , Toy Story 3, & Despicable Me. They just sat there, totally transfixed. Now, Rango, was one that did not hold their interest and about midway through, they kept walking between and me and DH. I say try it and see how they do and if it goes good-great and if not, then you know to wait when they are a little older.

 

Our oldest ds's first movie in the theatre was Cars, he was about 4 I think, so I think it's fitting our youngest ds's first movie be Cars 2 The twins will be almost 2.5 and we're taking them to see it as their first "official" theatre experience. They LOVE the first Cars already, and talk about "ka-chow" all the time I think it depends on the kid also, but I know we'll be at Cars 2 opening weekend

 

We started when they were 3 with Alvin and the Chipmunks. They've seen 5 or 6 movies and are fine depending on the subject matter. I definitely read movie mom's reviews and prepare them for the scary parts. Bring lots of snacks and they should be fine for Cars 2. Winnie the Pooh looks really cute too! I'm sure we'll see both.

 

I think my girls were probably 3.5 for their first flick. I actually took them to the summer free movies to see how they would do before I paid for them to go. Once I saw that they did well, then I took them to see one that we had to pay for.

 

we went into a movie theater w/the boys the other day and asked to just walk in and out--so they could see how loud and how dark it is. one decided he's ready to see a movie and the other said he'd wait. i have a feeling he would come around and be less upset about teh sound and darkness if he actually saw it was Cars up there (we saw some other movie). you gotta judge your kids. i spent the yo gabba, gabba concert in the lobby w/one of mine, so you don't want to go if he might not want to stay!

gl, jl

 

We also have seen a couple of movies in the theatre with the boys and for the most part they love it. We went to see Kung Fu Panda 2 recently and I was shocked about how dark and scary it was, I was dissapointed We are looking forward to Cars 2

 

Any feedback yet? I've seen it's pretty long, which I don't really get for a kids movie. Mostly there are villains in it so I'm a little bit worried... still planning on going this morning though...

 

We haven't taken the kids to the movies because of the volume. The sound at theaters is turned up so unbelievably loud, and my kids really don't like that. They're even bothered when a song is turned up too loud at Music Together. (Now, how they tolerate the amount of sound they generate themselves, I have no idea! :crazy: )

 

I took my girls to their first movie at 4. Before then I didn't think they would sit for the whole thing. They ended up doing great and enjoyed having their own little popcorn too . As for cars 2, we are going to wait until it comes out on DVD. I heard it's a little violent (it's like a James bond meets the cars cast), and my girls like more silly funny stuff than action movies.

 

We saw it. Two hours long. Thirty minutes too long for my crew..although we sat for an hour waiting for it to start. Popcorn and a drink and they are good!

And I agree wit Leighann...it's more of a James Bond type movie. Good? Yes. But something I want my three year olds watching? Ehhh...If you saw the first one -and loved it, I think you would be a bit shocked by the second one.

 

Ok thanks... we'll pass on it

 

DH & I went to see Thor yesterday afternoon - I can't even remember the last time we went to a movie in a theatre. At one point I leaned over to DH & told him I wanted to turn the volume down! :laughing: I'm not sure if movies have gotten louder or if I'd just forgotten. ardon:

 

We went today, it's very much a James Bond type movie with secret agent spies and stuff. Dh and I, and our older kids loved it. The twins did really good during the action/racing scenes, but the spy scenes or talking scenes, well they kept getting in and out of their seats. And Liam needed to be changed twice, and then wanted to play with this little boy who was crawling around by the doorway with his mom nearby...

So while it wasn't a total success, it wasn't like they were screaming or yelling or running around, they did pretty good! Now I gotta wait for it to come out on DVD so I can see all the parts I missed! :lol:

 

We saw it this weekend - the boys did pretty good - it is a bit long and not as silly as the first. Less violent than Kung Fu Panda 2 though IMO

Agree the volume is too loud - I know that some places have times where they turn down the volume - I think I need to look for those.

 

We saw it last night. My dh, myself and our 17 yr old enjoyed it but the twins could have taken it or left it. they were up and down the entire movie and VERY ready to go when it was over.

 

We went and saw it tonight. I thought it was good. My 7 year-olds loved it. Dh and I both agreed that if they were younger it might not have been a hit. The ending is a little complicated when they tie up the plot lines. My kids didn't quite grasp all of that, so younger ones would definitely be a bit lost there.

Marissa

 

I can't believe I'm going to pass on this movie! I've just heard it's not for little kids at all, very different from the first. So disappointing! Guess we'll just be seeing Winnie the Pooh this summer!

 

I think your two-some would be old enough to enjoy it, my 4.5 yr old dd LOVED it! All she's done is talk about "super secret spies" ever since we went! :lol:

 

If you want them to understand the plot, it's an older movie. But there still are a lot of great car chases and funny moments. The movie is much more centered around Mater than the previous one so you know it is going to be funny.

If they see it young, it's definitely a movie they will grow into. If your kids are Car crazy, they'll like it. If your kids like visual humor, they'll like most of the movie. If you want them to totally get the plot, well, my 7 year-olds got most of it.

Marissa

 

My girls loved it and understood most of the plot. The little boy in front of us however screamed for 5 minutes after the brave preview with the bear and they had to leave.