That is how long I have not stepped into a movie theater. Partly because it cost nearly S$20 for a movie ticket in Karlskrona, and mainly because when you are a parent, watching a movie doesn't sound like the perfect idea for a family outing.
That said, you have to know that the hubby and I used to be frequent moviegoers. We would catch a show weekly or at least fortnightly and go around trying out different cineplexes. In fact, when I was working as a media executive at OMD, Golden Village was my favorite client because it was fun working on new movies and I got to enjoy freebies like invites to movie premieres and the chance to come up close with movie stars and local celebrities.
So when Golden Village invited me to go on a family friendly movie date with my kids at City Square Mall, which isn't that far from where we live, you bet I jumped at the opportunity. I would have loved for the hubby to join us but since he had to work, it was a 3-girls date for me and my kids. Yes, I brought the 7-month-old baby along too, that's the only way I can get to watch a movie, duh!
Although GV had mentioned that the screening would be held in a conducive environment, the only difference I could make out between our theater and a usual one was the addition of two diaper changing stations. Plus a good number of crying babies and kids who couldn't stop running around.
Initially, Angel was a little apprehensive of entering the movie theater since it looked dark and perhaps a little eerie to her. As we were wrongly informed of the time by the PR side, we arrived an hour early after a mad rush in the morning and thus we had ample time to fill our starving tummies.
I bought a jumbo hotdog for Angel and she also tried nachos with cheese, my favorite movie snack, for the first time. As for Ariel, well, since it was such a special day for us, I let her feast on the bread from the hotdog and baby biscuits in an attempt to keep her happy. And quiet.
Just before the show started, I managed to persuade Angel to make our way to our seats which were in the middle of the theater. She willingly complied but to our surprise, all the lights were dimmed shortly and this made her rather uneasy for a moment. Although darkness meant that adults could better enjoy the show and small babies might find it easier to sleep, in consideration of the many toddlers and preschoolers around, having a backlight might be a better option.
That said, my elder girl was totally comfortable in her seat and her eyes were glued to the screen once the show began. Never mind the loud sound effects and forget that there were no lights, she was in a world of her own.
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The movie we watched was The Croods, which is a prehistoric comedy adventure that follows the world's first family as they embark on a journey of a lifetime after their cave is destroyed. As they travel across a spectacular landscape, the Croods discover an incredible new world filled with amazing creatures as they go in search of a new home.
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It turned out to be better than what I had expected and I have to admit that Angel and I enjoyed the show immensely, even if that meant that I had to answer her questions every five minutes like "Mummy, what is that animal?", "What did the girl say?", "Where is the monkey?", "Where are they going?" and so on.In fact, I loved that I had the chance to explain to her about the story and teach her about how family ties matter in the process. Thank goodness that mummies are great at multitasking because while I was talking softly to her, I was also watching the show and at the same time taking care of an infant. For the record, Ariel was a perfect baby that day who slept through half the show, watched a quarter of it and for the rest of the time, she was contented to eat, drink milk or just look around with curiosity.
Disclaimer: We received a media invite and complimentary tickets to the Mums and Babies screening of The Croods at GV City Square. Hotdog and nachos were bought with our own $$$ and all opinions are my own based on our experience.
