BayDad

I just wanted to say that we went to go see Ponyo with Mr. Busy and Miss Otter this weekend, and it was absolutely awesome.  Great story, wonderful voice acting, beautiful images.

And, in addition, this is the first movie that Mr. Busy has sat through (in a theater) from beginning to end.  He started out in my lap (with his blankie) and about half way through the movie, decided he wanted to “sit by myself” so he sat next to me for the rest.

We’ve tried a couple other movies in the theater with him, and haven’t had much success.  Here’s the short rundown:

• Horton Hears a Who @ 1.5 years:  This one almost worked, but he was only about 18 months at the time, so still a bit young.  I think there was too much talking for him to really understand what was going on.
• Disney Earth @ 1.9 years:  Not enough plot to keep him interested, and lots of “what’s that animal’s name” and “what’s that bird doing” type of questions.  Also I think we went at a pretty bad time, with a 5pm showing, and that overlapped with dinnertime.
• Up @ 2.25yrs: Too scary.  Too much talking.
• Ponyo @ 2.25yrs: Perfect.  He had already watched “Totoro” (another great movie for kids) at home, beginning to end, so we were hopeful.  We went to a Saturday matinee (showing at 4pm) which was pretty good timing.  Bring his blankie was also key to success.

I’d recommend going to see Ponyo for pretty much everyone, with the added benefit that if you’ve got a toddler, he or she will likely enjoy it and sit through the whole thing, which is a huge win for the parents, because you’ll actually be able to see it uninterrupted as well!