Anyone seen Frozen? Suitable for 3yo?

[omama]

Was thinking of taking ds (3.4) to see Frozen but unsure if will be suitable.

He LOVES Tangled, but is scared when Mother gets old & we have to fast forward that bit. Obv can't do that in a cinema!

Has it got any bits that are likely to scare a 3yo?

[laraeo]

There are a couple scary bits - at the beginning the parents get lost at sea in a big storm - deaths glossed over but it could be scary.

There's also a big scary yeti-type snowman that attacks the heroes but they're okay.

Ah. One other part when the freeze queen attacks some bad guys coming to get her.

Nobody actually dies (except the parents off camera) or is really injured.

I haven't seen Tangled so it's hard to compare.

DS 5 1/2, loved Frozen.

[FannyFifer]

My 3 year old was pretty bored. Only the bits with the snowman interested get.

[omama]

Ok thanks. Gonna risk it - on our way now!

[CaptainSweatPants]

Is it out already? I thought it wasn't coming out until next weekend

[laraeo]

I'm in the US so it's been out a couple if weeks.

I will say that as an adult, it was one of the best kids' movies I've seen in a long time. Original premise, good songs, nice animation, enough action to keep DS interested and a good plot. There's even a nice kid-sized twist at the end!

I wouldn't bother with 3D though.

I definitely recommend it.

[MoreThanChristmasCrackers]

Would a 3 year old sit quietly in the cinema? Why not wait for the dvd, he'll be a bit older and can watch it next year.

[ChippingInLovesChristmasLights]

Too late....

I wouldn't take a 3 year old.

Yes Captain, it's definitely on

[ChippingInLovesChristmasLights]

morethan - lots of 3 year olds can sit nicely to watch a film at the cinema Why not wait for the DVD could apply to anyone of any age!>>> because going to the cinema is about more than watching the film and it's really, really BIG!

[FannyFifer]

My 3 year old was bored but still sat nicely & behaved for the whole film.

[SantasTessTackle]

My just turned 3 year old loved it. She didn't move or make a noise the whole time.

The problem was the older children.

[omama]

Laraeo - we went for the 2d showing

He sat still through the whole film, really well behaved & thoroughly enjoyed it . Wasn't scared in the slightest. My only gripe was the 40mins of ads & trailers before the film even started - is that really necessary for a kids film?!

[hellowonderful]

Is say so but only because we went as a family earlier in the week (5yo and just turned 3yo) and they both adored it.

[MoreThanChristmasCrackers]

Santas

That doesn't surprise me really. I should have known better than presume after having 3 dcs very different to each other

[GirlWithTheDirtyShirt]

My 2.10 year old went last week, watched in 3D and loved it.

[laraeo]

Omama - glad to hear it was a success!

My DS really wants to see Walking with Dinosaurs. I can't begin to tell you how much I don't want to see it - but I'm sure I will since it's the only kids' movie coming out for Christmas.

[TiredofDisneyCrap]

In answer to the original question, of should I take my 3 year old to Frozen, my answer would be a resounding NO!
The film is certainly not well represented by the trailer, which is fun and lighthearted. We have just taken our 6 and 9 year old girls to see it and they both insisted on leaving half way through. On the other hand that which frightened them would probably just go over a 3 year olds head.
The giant snow monster wasn't a problem, or the fact that the mother and father both die, this is pretty standard stuff in fairy tales, but they both found the whole premiss of story terrifying. The story is based around two sisters the eldest of whom is trapped in a body with powers she finds distressing and isolating.
This is not a story about clear cut good versus evil, unlike Tangled. In fact the good guy turns out to be evil with no prior warning. If, like my girls, your kids have vivid imaginations and are empathetic to the sisters story then this is not one for them.
Why do Disney now insist on terrifying children? They did it with the Toy Story trilogy, where the jeopardy just got more and more with each film. What happened to innocent, fun story telling? OK so there is a tradition in Europe of cautionary folk tales for children, but with big screens and 3D effects it has become too vivid and salacious.
A PG certificate is all well and good, I just wish you could find good synopses of these films prior to buying tickets for the whole family, otherwise how on earth can we exercise our parental guidance. We then find we have wasted our money and worse than that have just spent money on giving our kids nightmares. You certainly cannot rely on the Disney marketing spin.

[laraeo]

Okay, Tired. I think your girls are in the minority and I'm sorry they didn't enjoy the movie or stay through to the end. You must have come close to the end if you know the goodie is a baddie.

Yes, the eldest is told to hide her powers and that she should be ashamed to be herself. However, by the end of the movie both she & the town come to embrace the real her. I read this as a "Be true to yourself" life lesson.

As for the good guy actually being the bad guy, again this is a life lesson - when things seem too good to be true (ie meeting your true love the first time you go out) they probably are.

I enjoyed the twist. I had figured the ice vendor would wind up with the ice queen. I thought it made sense. The guy loved ice!

There is also a great sacrifice done in the name of love. Of course everyone lives happily ever after because it is Disney, after all.

I think you really should have stayed til the end. It would have given you the ability to have a meaningful discussion with your DDs.

I thought the trailer did the movie a disservice in that it looked like an okay, typical Disney movie. In reality, I found it much better.

There are different children's movie review websites. I just went in commonsensemedia.org and they said nearly the exact same thing but much more concisely.

[FannyFifer]

Goodness I really can't think of anything that would cause a 6 & 9 year old to have to leave the film.

[SantasTessTackle]

MoreThan; I was surprised. These children were at least 7 and running up and down aisles and shouting and talking loudly. My mum would have gone mental at us if we'd behaved that way.

I took DD safe in the knowledge she gets really into films

[Dancergirl]

No I can't either fannyfifer A bit too much over analysis going on I think.

There are scary bits in ALL Disney films, even the older ones.

We all thought it was great, my dds are 12, 10 and 6. Oldest dd loved the snowman!

[Louise1956]

Well, if he liked Tangled he will probably like this. Most people seem to. Personally, I thought it was a bit dull, and not nearly as good as Tangled, but he will probably like the spectacular visual effects, and the lovable reindeer and comic snowman etc. I found the plot weak (supposedly based on The Snow Queen but bearing very little resemblance to it really), and the characters not very interesting. There is some rather perfunctory love interest, and some minor villainy, but mostly it's about the two sisters and their relationship, or rather lack of one. I thought Tangled a far superior film, but there's plenty in Frozen that a child will probably enjoy. I don't think the scary bits are any scarier than those in any other Disney movie.

[flatmouse]

I have to say normally the disney princess "big eyes, tiny waist, barbie proportions" thing normally passes me by - but i raised an eyebrow at the blatant sexualisation of the new queen when she decided to enjoy her powers (before angst about what she had done set in)!

[Dancergirl]

Only on MN do you get such over analysis of a frigging Disney film!

It's a kids film, if they enjoy it then all well and good.

[FeckOffCupofMulledWine]

My 3 year old enjoyed it but I missed the big plot twist because she needed a wee.

I don't get how the ice guy said the trolls were his family when you see him as a child along with human adults at the start though?