On Monday, through my contact at Mile High Mamas and The Denver Post, Claire and I were offered free tickets to a pre-screening for Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. I’d never been to a pre-screening before, and Claire had never seen a movie on the big screen.
The pre-screening was going to be at a local theater on November 5th. (It opens everywhere on November 7th – check your local listings. I’ve always wanted to say that.) 
I love free stuff AND movies, so I jumped at the chance. Claire was SO excited, and neither one of us could wait to go!
How would she do? Would she be able to sit still through the whole movie? She sits through movies at home, so maybe she’s ready? Either way, what a better way to try than with free tickets! Even if this little project failed miserably, we wouldn’t be out anything but our dignity.
Imagine my surprise when a whole package of schwag arrived at our house the very next day. Claire was beside herself with joy.
Click to enlarge.
We got a plush penguin, a pencil, a book, stickers, a ring, and a puzzle. (Everything except the poster and mask, which we got at the theater.) After the show, Claire even got a coupon for a free Happy Meal™! Her feet may never touch the ground again…
Now, when it came to the actual movie, I wasn’t sure what to expect. To be completely honest, we’ve never seen the first Madagascar movie. We’ve watched clips here and there, and Claire loves the “Move it! Move it!” scene, but that’s the extent of my knowledge of the movie.
We have it in our Netflix queue, but it keeps getting bumped down. After this, I think I’ll move it to the top!
Keep in mind, I’m not required to write about this movie. I don’t have to do a review or anything like that. But, I can’t not write about Claire’s first movie on the big screen!
So…how did she do?
She loved it! She was enthralled. Because there were other kids in the theater, I didn’t feel the need to quiet her and all of her questions. Note to self: She’s like her father and will talk through an entire movie if left to her own devices.
My favorite question of the night? “Momma? Where do lions poop?” Ha! [My answer? "Probably back behind that tree over there..."] 
The only challenging part was keeping her contained before the actual movie started. Because it’s a pre-screening, there are no previews or ads…just a big white screen. Well, that’s not nearly enough to keep an antsy preschooler in her seat.
But, as soon as the lights dimmed and the show began, she was mesmerized. She loved the animation, the story, and she really got involved with the characters. She got worried in some parts and excited in others, and she just soaked it all up like a little sponge.
Personally, I thought the movie was very entertaining. (The penguins are hilarious!!) The story was cute, and I’m curious as to what the first movie was like, as I’m sure there were characters or references that weren’t nearly as vivid for me because I hadn’t seen the first one. But, that’s okay. We both thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
And, unlike some other movies we’ve watched at home, *cough*Disney*cough* there were no horrifying deaths in the opening scene. Ooops, I guess I should have put a ‘mild spoiler alert’ on that sentence! Don’t worry. It won’t ruin the movie for you.
As you can see from the picture above, and you may already know the characters, Alex is a lion. As soon as we opened the package that arrived, Claire saw him on the little plastic ring and thought Alex was a tiger. I thought she was better at her animal recognition than this, but I’ll cut her some slack since she’s not even 3-yrs old yet, and she was basing her information on a brief glimpse of a cartoon head on a plastic ring.
Anyway, she got it stuck in her head that he was a tiger, but then she’d correct herself, and she’d do it every time! From here on out, Alex will always be referred to as “Alex the tiger who’s really a lion…right?”
After the movie, all the way to the car and all the way home and all evening before going to bed (she had to tell Daddy all about it!), Claire talked about the movie. I love hearing her opinion and view of things, so in the midst of our in-depth discussions, I asked her some pointed questions.
“Claire, what was your favorite part of the movie?”
“Momma, you know Alex? Alex the tiger who’s really a lion?”
“Yes, Claire. Alex is really a lion.”
“He was my favorite part…Alex was my favorite part…even though he’s a lion and not a tiger. Right?”
“Right.”
And then, I decided to ask her how she would rate the movie. She’s our little Rock Band groupie, so she’s familiar with the idea of receiving five stars, etc. Now, keep in mind that our little movie reviewer may be a tad biased, what with all the schwag and the experience of actually watching a movie on a screen bigger than she’s ever imagined still fresh in her mind.
Still, this has to be my absolute favorite answer of the evening:
“Claire, how many stars would you give Madagascar 2?”
“I would like pink ones!”
So, that sums it up! Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa has earned the pink stars rating! It doesn’t get much better than that.
Today is Day 6 of 30 in the NaBloPoMo Challenge! Check it out and/or join in the fun! A wonderful movie experience AND a post for Day 6? Sign me up!
Last night, I went to see Sex And The City 2, but things were different. I wasn’t all by myself! Some girlfriends and I decided to dress up and see the movie, following it with dinner and drinks out. Who wouldn’t jump at a chance to get dolled up and wear wildly inappropriate shoes!?
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