The Pirates That Don't Do Anything

This weekend we decided to try something new - we went out to the movies as a family. Given that our youngest is only 3, this has been very risky in the past. The last time we tried, we took the kids to go see Cars when it was in the theatre - complete disaster. My husband missed the last fifteen to twenty minutes of the movie walking a stir-crazy two-year-old up and down the halls.

But, she's older now we argued and we wanted to do something special for our son. He had an entire week of green-card days last week (meaning he was good at school and didn't get fussed at for talking) and he deserved a little reward. Going out to eat doesn't mean much to a Kindergartner and Mr. Biggs is both expensive and induces mild anxiety in me and hives in my husband. (It's truly a fun place to go if your kids are older, but at 3 & 6 too many older children run unsupervised and there's too large of a kidnapping risk.) Being that its still winter here, outdoor activities are out of the question, so we weren't left with many options that are appealing to kids.

Luckily, however, we hadn't seen the new Veggie Tales movie, The Pirates That Don't Do Anything. We LOVED it! These pirates have been side characters now for years and it was fun to watch them produce a feature-length film focused on them. While the faith message was a bit subdued in the film, it was still present. And it was really good for the kids to see the characters develop discipline and a work ethic as the movie played on...and to see those changes rewarded in the end (slight spoiler, but not really.)

The movie theatre we went to had a well-stocked snack bar, so we were able to let the kids split a pizza and a coke in their seats which may have contributed to their ability to sit still for a full movie. At any rate, however, I'm not complaining - it was nice. This is definitely a movie you should see, though it would be just as good of a home purchase or rental. There aren't any huge special effects or anything to warrant a $10 ticket purchase (unless you're celebrating something.)

As for the film itself - these guys have seriously improved their animation skills in recent months. The animated water was EXCELLENT and the texturing, lighting, etc. really appeared much more lifelike than past videos. Kudos, guys! And the soundtrack rocked! Kurt Heineke outdid himself this time...if I ever see the soundtrack in stores, I will probably either buy it or download it from iTunes.

As for my kids, they're now walking around the house quoting the movie. My son now has faux labor-saving-devices and says that anything he's scared of is "on his list." I guess that's the best sign they liked it - and I don't have to worry about what he's quoting or imitating.