As I’ve mentioned before, Annabel has been a champ at going to the movies. She stays in her seat, happily munches on popcorn, and keeps noise to a minimum. She’s been so great, in fact, that I went ahead and made a list of all of the upcoming kid movies that we could go see on future daddy/daughter dates. I was pretty excited.
And then, uh, this weekend happened.
It all started on Sunday when I surprised Annie by telling her we were going to go to the movies. Her eyes got wide as saucers.
“Go see movie? On the biiiiiiggggggg screen?”
I nodded and she jumped up and down, cheering. Soon we were in the car where I told Annie the movie was about a fish named Nemo.
“A fishie movie?”
“Yup!”
“And we eat popcorns?”
“Yup!”
“Yay!!!!!”
So far so great.
At the theater we got in line to buy tickets, and as we waited I pointed out the “Finding Nemo” poster.
“Look, Annie! That’s the movie we’re seeing!”
Annie stared at the poster, stone-faced, as I bought the tickets. We then went inside, acquired our “popcorns,” and strolled toward the theater. Suddenly, Annie freaked out and sprinted in the opposite direction.
“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!”
After getting over my initial “What the…?” reaction, I caught up to Annie here:
Freedom lies beyond this glass…
“Outside?” she begged. “Outside?”
“What about the movie?”
“Outside!”
I was very confused. What happened to my happy little movie goer? I decided to wait for her to calm down, but when she did and I tried to lead her back to the theater, she lost it again.
“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
It was pretty clear this wasn’t going to work, so I took Annie outside and went to the ticket window. They made me fill out a form to get my money back, and under the question, “Reason For Leaving,” I wrote: “Child lost mind.”
Instead of ending our daddy/daughter date on such a bum note though, I decided to take her to get ice cream next door. Annie approved.
Happy Kid, Happy Dad
I, meanwhile, was left to chomp on this gigantic bag of popcorn.
I have three payments left.
Upon finishing we returned to the car where Annie burst into tears as I strapped her into her car seat.
“What’s wrong?”
“Wanna see movie!”
“Too late, sweetie,” I said before closing the door.
I felt bad as I drove home, and only felt worse when I looked into the rear view mirror and saw her sniffling all sad and pathetic.
“Wanna see fishie movie,” she said quietly. “On the biiiiiiiiigggg screen.”
At that point I happened to be passing our town’s OTHER movie theater, so I pulled in and checked the screening times. Sure enough, “Nemo” started in five minutes. I deliberated, then, against my best instincts, said, “You really want to see the movie?”
Annie stopped crying and nodded, excited. We went inside, got our tickets, then made our way to the theater when:
“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
I groaned, then picked Annie up and slumped over to the counter to get my money back. This time, under “Reason for Leaving,” I wrote: “Because I am a moron.”
Annie immediately fell asleep upon getting home (I think she was traumatized by the whole thing), but later I asked her, “‘Remember when we tried to go to the movies?”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“Did you not want to see the fishie movie?”
Annie shook her head.
“You wanted to see the fishie movie?”
Annie nodded.
“Then why did you cry?”
Annie leaned toward me carefully and whispered, “Shark scary.”
And then I remembered the poster I pointed out to her:
That is a pretty freaking scary shark. Whoops.
Becca_Masters says:
your reasons for getting your money back made me laugh. they’ll probably make the refund clerk laugh too.
poor Annie!!
perhaps you can get a copy on itunes, and let Annie watch at home?
then maybe try it on the big screen again.
Jackie says:
Oh my poor Annie I can just imagine what she was thinking as she walked in… lol poor baby
karen says:
Ooooooo, bad daddy! hilarious. And when shes having nightmares about sharks, Heather will look at you with that look that says “this is your fault”. I know this cos I do THAT look to my other half all the time!
Mijke says:
*grin* Yes, for a two year old that is some scary poster!
You can tell her all three of our kids (one of which is the same age as she) LOVE the fishy movie. And that you will take her outside when the scary shark shows up. He’s only in the movie for about ten minutes. Just long enough for a bathroom-and-popcorn break.
Has she seen any 3D movies yet by the way?
Our two year old freaked out completely when we went to see a (short) 3D movie in de Efteling (a Dutch amusement park). It wasn’t even a scary movie, but the whole 3D aspect was a bit too much for him. As soon as the first 3D effect showed up, he ripped off his 3D glasses (even broke them) and did NOT want to put them back on. He spent the rest of the movie (only about 5 more minutes, fortunately) attached to my leg, shaking his head, saying ‘No, mommy, no! All done!’ over and over again.
At the end of the movie, a tree cake down from the ceiling, air was blown into our faces and the benches we sat on started shaking (they probably figured the 3D effects alone weren’t enough). After that, I am pretty sure my kid will NEVER voluntarily walk into a movie theater again…
Mike says:
She’s seen one 3D movie… Beauty and the Beast 3D…. and she did well. Even kept the glasses on most of the time! With “Finding Nemo” though, we going to the 2D screenings they have. Most theaters have it in 3D, but there are some 2Ds if you look. Of course, none of that matters if your kid is afraid of the shark!
Mijke says:
A tree CAME down, not cake down…
Cait says:
Haha poor Annie! As soon as you said you showed her the poster for Nemo I could see those sharks in my head. I know it’s probably an interesting poster for teens who were kids the first time around with Nemo, but shouldn’t new little kids be the target demographic here?
Meyli says:
Ahhh….mystery solved.
Heather says:
Ice age produced that reaction for us, but not because of the traditionally scary characters. Nope, my kid was terrified of the freaking squirrel
I’m imagining the person who sorts the refund slips reading yours. You’ve brightened their day I’m sure.
Nikki says:
Hahahahaha! I’m in a meeting and had to struggle not to laugh out loud. Poor Annie & poor Mike.
S says:
Maybe you rent the Fishy Movie first, to show her that it’s not scary? Then by next week, you can see it on the big screen.
I give you credit. I wouldn’t even attempt to take my 3 year old to a movie.
Casey says:
My daughter will be 4 in a few short days and she is TERRIFIED of Nemo. She can watch Karate Kid with us, but freaks if Nemo is even mentioned. So, Annie, I feel ya sister. That’s one scary shark!
Erin says:
I remember when I went to see that movie the first time it came out. Mind you, I was 20-ish at the time, but I still jumped two feet in the air and screamed like a little girl (no offense, Annie) the first time Bruce the shark filled up the screen and said “hullo…”
Colleen says:
Thanks for the heads up!! LOL!! We have watched Nemo at home and my 3 year old doesn’t particularly like Bruce but I’m sure if he sees that poster we might have the same reaction. I like the idea of taking a potty/popcorn break right around that time of the movie!
Better luck next time!!
Kim Wencl says:
Mike – why don’t you get the DVD of Finding Nemo, let her watch that and then take her to see the movie?
Kim says:
I was feeling your frustration and then got the answer. I totally understand. That IS a scary shark.
Kate says:
That was hilarious. Thanks for the laughs! You are a great dad.
Jana says:
You have got to be the worlds greatest dad.
Tracy says:
hahahaha!
Sonya says:
Mike, I had to contain my guffaws at my desk at work. That is hilarious! Thanks for the chuckles and Annie continues to be super adorable!
Lamb says:
Bwah ha ha ha! Sorry, Mike. Now that you know the reason behind her wacky freak outs, will there be a 3rd attempt? I wonder what your reason for refund will be if it doesn’t go well.
Lanie says:
Movie dates so so fun! It seems like all kids’ movies have some scary characters/scenes. . .I had to take my crying little girl out of Brave. Maybe one day there will be a fear free kids movie (or they will grow up and like the scary parts. . .).
Jay- The Dude of the House says:
We still haven’t attempted taking the Little Dude to a movie on the big screen. Instead, he has gotten used to movies on DVD or On-Demand over and over. And Over and Over. The latest one is HOP. The first time was cute. The 12th time wasn’t. And that was in about a week. Not sure when we’ll make the leap to the big screen…
And as the old saying goes:
Fool me once, shame on you.
Fool me twice, shame on me
Jamie says:
HILARIOUS! Love your reasons for the form. And now I am wondering what perfectly reasonable explanation for a freak out I’m missing with my own kids…
Annalisa says:
Dude, I’d be scared of that movie poster too, and I’m … uhhh… somewhat older than Annie.
What happened to the posters featuring the clownfish????
Angela says:
I traumatized my then three year old nephew when I showed him Toy Story. He completely lost it when the toys were left behind at the gas station.
Trisha says:
Wow that poster would freak my 4 year old out as well! I guess because it’s in 3D they had to go all large on it but why not make Nemo the center and all big and not the shark to scare off the itty biddies?
Hope if you attempt a 3rd try Annie goes for it. It is a great movie.
Paula says:
Scary poster! We have the DVD and my girl loves Bruce the shark, maybe watch it at home first? LOL hope you don’t get any bad dreams
Carrie says:
My friend’s 4-year-old had a nervous breakdown while watching Nemo 3D and they had to leave. It’s a little overwhelming on the big screen, in 3D, even if they have seen the movie before.
Molly says:
hahahah! that IS a scary poster!
Amy says:
A few weeks ago my 5 year old daughter told me she wanted to go see Brave. So we’re sitting there, and a ‘scary’ scene comes up, and my daughter yells out “I KNEW I SHOULD’VE PICKED ICE ACE!”
Keri says:
Too funny…My son has been scared of nearly all Disney movies, with the exception of Cars, because that’s the only one without a “bad guy.” So far, my daughter isn’t fazed and will watch anything. Oh and he’s four and she’s two…
Beth says:
Smart girl. When the movie was originally released, I was watching my niece and nephew (ages 1 and 4) while their family moved. So I thought it would be fun to take them and my 3 year old son. We bought tickets, popcorn, and drinks. Everybody was happy until that stupid shark appeared. Then the 3 and 4 yr old started screaming which scared the baby and she started screaming too. I abandoned our snacks and tried to gracefully leave – no small feat with three screaming, flailing little people all by myself. Those same children are now teens and claim that this event never happened – but I will never forget it.
Sebrina says:
Well my son is the complete opposite of most kids about this movie. When Nemo first came out he was 1 1/2 years old. When he first saw the movie and the scene where Bruce comes in with the big toothy grin, he giggled and laughed. He loved it all. Bruce never scared him. That began his love/obsession with sharks. He is now 10 years old and sharks are all still his favorite. I hope Annie gets to see the movie without fear. It’s a great one!
Mommy says:
We just took our almost 4 year old to see Nemo, in 3D, and even though he laughs at the shark in the movie when we watch it at home, it was seriously intense in 3D. Probably even in 2D on the biiiiig screen. Also what I didn’t see coming was that he was going to be very sad about the opening scene where the mommy fish dies (sorry for the spoiler). Again, we have seen Nemo a million times, but I guess now that he is getting a little bigger he can understand that it is sad during some parts- or maybe that barracuda that gets her was just too much in 3D.
Anyway, we still had a great time, but it was interesting that the experience was soooo different than at home. We have seen other movies in theatres, but this one was particularly loud so that might have been it too. I guess you can never tell with kids!
I’m sure you know, but muvico does free movies all summer. We love it because if anyone freaks for whatever reason, we can leave and not have wasted any money or fill out and refund forms with screaming little ones!
Your responses were hilarious though- I’m sure you gave someone a good laugh!
rachel says:
She’s a smart girl. Remember the BEGINNING of Nemo? Where the barracuda eats his MOM and all his brother and sister eggs? I don’t think most kids will ever even get to the shark part. I think I skipped that part on the DVD for my son (now 10) until he was about 5.
Auntie_M says:
LOL!!!! Love your reasons for getting your money back! Have to say, my niece, now 3.5 yo, when watching Nemo from the safety of my home, FREAKED in the 1st 10 minutes! First the mommy was “gone” (uh-dead, but we just said she had to go away for a little bit, tears stopped) and then Nemo got lost and was calling for his dad & his dad was calling for him and my niece was crying hysterically for the daddy to find his baby so Auntie M quickly changed the DVD to the end when they find each other & the movie was over. And we were all traumatized.
She asked to watch it at the beginning of this summer (1 yr later) and I almost said NO! (I was still traumatized) but she loved the whole thing, as long as I was there to reassure her a billion times that Nemo finds his daddy! (And she still thinks his mommy is at the store!!!)
Ice Cream is waaaaay better, Annie!!!!!
Bridget says:
The punch line of that story made me literally LOL Thanks!
John@Parentin'Ain'tPurdEE says:
Great story! Reminds me of my toddler who loves Thomas the Tank Engine. For some inexplicable reason he loses it 10 minutes into any of the videos. Only he knows why.