Tonight, Angela and I took Andrew to his first movie in a theater.  Unless I’m mistaken, it was also the first movie we’ve let him sit and watch start to finish uninterrupted (though Finding Nemo may have taken that honor).  At any rate, it was a pretty big deal.  We were a bit hesitant, as “children’s movies” tend to frighten us.  From the “not really for children but that didn’t stop half of America” movies like Shrek, to the the “tamer” children’s films like The Incredibles, the content is often, we feel, inappropriate for children, certainly for our 2 1/2 year old.  We just don’t understand why we have to have bodily noises and not so veiled “OK” profanities (Shrek’s “talking ass”) in a kid’s movie. 

It is with that trepidation that we began to think about Curious George, a character that he loves.  We usually read at least one book a day, and George is often the bed time story of choice for Andrew.  We read a number of reviews of the movie, however, that gave us pause:  the audience is led to accept the theory of evolution ; the characters intentionally tell a lie; and a smattering of other concerns.  We also read a review, though, that said Hollywood somehow managed to make a kid’s show devoid of toilet humor (which is all too often with movies not just a slang term) and that every parent should run to let their children see this great family film.  We decided we’d take him and see if he would love the film as much as we thought he would.  We were not disappointed.

This movie was awesome.  Possibly one of the best cartoons I’ve seen in years.  Andrew, of course, loved seeing George on the big screen, and the dialog was funny without being crass.  The only exception is when Ted (the name they gave The Man with the Yellow Hat, most likely, to make the dialog easier) is driving down the highway in very crazy traffic and yells back at an apparently angry driver something to the tune “it’s not even physically possible to do that to myself.”  While I wish they had left that out, it’s certainly better than a cartoon using the word “ass” “legitimately.”  The story was good, and the antics had me at times, almost literally falling out of my seat.  I’m not sure why I found it so funny when Ted stared directly into the sun (the sure absurdity of it, I’m sure), but it sure did kill me.

We walked away from this movie 100% glad we took Andrew to see it.  The “lie” was, in our estimation, a gross over-exaggeration (they thought about deceiving people to save their museum but did not actually do it), and, aside from Ted’s discussion of prehistoric “man,” the evolution concern seemed a bit over-blown as well.  If asked, I think would unequivocally suggest this movie to parents of young children.  I even hope they make another. 🙂

On a side note, anyone reading this who does not have his or own child may not understand this, but the feeling I got seeing the absolute excitement and joy and Andrew’s face when he first saw George on the screen is one of the greatest feelings ever.  Completely indescribable, but extremely cool.  I’m extremely grateful God has blessed in such a way as to allow little indulgences like that.  My family and I have much to be thankful for.

Right now, we’re trying to potty train Andrew.  I had him on the toilet and Angela went off to get his jammies.  While she was gone, I cupped my hand at the side of my mouth, got all excited and whispered, “Can you go to the bathroom before Mother gets back?” 

Andrew cups his at the side of his mouth, leans toward me, and whispers “No.”