ET for an almost four year old?

[curiousgeorgie]

We're going to Florida soon and I've been showing my DD all the Disney movies, some Dr Seuss and the first two Harry Potters so she recognises stuff while she's there...

I said to my DH I was going to let her watch ET today and he said its far too scary... Admittedly it's been years since I watched it but I can't remember it being scary?!

Anyone?

Harry Potter is much scarier, surely?

I don't recall E.T having any black magic or giant man eating spiders in it

It isn't scary but he might find it a bit disturbing and upsetting when ET gets all poorly and white and is dying As a 4 year old I think I'd be upset by it.

I'd call it 'thrilling' rather than scary. Some jumpy moments before they find him in the woodshed or Drew Barrymore squeals at seeing him in the bedroom. Would be more worried about the reaction to him dying at the end.

I showed ET to my three year old thinking it was a children's movie. This was a big mistake, she was freaked out by the bit where he nearly dies/in the stream/goes white and deathly and had nightmares about ET coming to get her or being under her bed for years afterwards.

It depends on the child, she is quite sensitive, her older sister less so. It was just the wrong movie at the wrong age for her. She'd have been fine if she'd have been six or older.

She loves Harry Potter! I fast forwarded through the Voldemort bit at the end but other than that she was fine through all of it..

I'm guessing Jurassic Park is out of the question?

Exactly - the emotion the boy actor shows when ET is dying is just heart breaking, I think it's too much for a 4 year old. Those dying scenes make me cry every time and if it can make an adult cry (who knows it isn't real) then it might just be too emotionally distressing for a four year old.

Stick Jurassic Park on it - that's far more acceptable. My sister's son watched it when he was 5 and he was either completely awe struck or laughing

I saw ET aged 5yo at the cinema. I was quite frankly much more terrified by Bedknobs and Broomsticks I'd seen the previous year.

B&B was a brilliant film!!
Though very haunting when the armour and horses etc come to life

ET is disturbing and weird I watched it as a teen, hated it and have never bothered again.

I'm not sure it's 4y territory.

We watched that last week, she was a mixture of liking it and bored... She usually has a really good attention spam for films. She watches Matilda daily! (And I think the Trunchbull is pretty scary!)

span obviously! Not spam!

My dd 8 although quite sensitive really couldn't cope with it at all. For a 3 year old, no.

I was terrified of ET as a child. Haven't seen it since then so can't remember if it actually IS scary.

His hands and feet are pretty scary.....

For me, ET was more disturbing and eerie than outright scary. However, disturbing and eerie are the stuff of my nightmares (rather than scary monster stuff).

It has been nearly twenty years since I was there but the ET ride in Disneyworld is wonderful. The queuing area is immense (a big starlit wood), the ride car is a mock bike affair and you get your photo taken in front of the moon! I guess you might need to see the film to see the significance of it.

I was 18 years old

its not scary at all

my almost 4 year old and almost 2 year old watched it a couple of months ago.

I remember watching it on the telly at 4 years old myself!

ET was the first film I ever saw in the cinema. I was four and didn't find it all frightening. My main memory is my Mum blubbing her eyes out when poor old ET is in a bad way.

Beautiful film.

Who can be scared of ET he's totally adorable!

Elliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiot.

I wouldn't risk it. You can't unsee things.

My DCs are pretty resilient and have watched all the HPs and ET. DS is now 8, although has been watching them for quite a while; DD is 5. I do think it depends on the kids. My DCs find the bit with all the men in the masks and the space suits in the house a little scary. In the last HP they are not in the least scared by the final battle but rewind to watch it over and over. I, on the other hand, find it pretifying.

Now this is what You Tube is for, no?

Just show her the excellent clip of the bicycle ride and she'll totally get what it's all about, without having to endure the awful peeley white ET dying scenes. I had nightmares after seeing this at 5

I was terrified for years of the bit near the end when he was white and poorly I think he was on a beach, it stuck in my mind for years and freaked me out when I was a kid

Ds watched it at that age. He wasn't scared but cried at the poorly ET bit. I have never seen that as a reason to shield him from stuff, more that I use it is an opportunity to teach him it is okay to feel sad at things and show emotion. It is a bit of a managed way of dealing with death etc. He liked the film.

Well, I just showed her a google image picture of ET in the bike basket and she said 'what's that monkey doing?'