Was your preschooler afraid in Philharmagic?

[janebanks]

Hi all,

When I was in Mickey's Philharmagic years ago, I remember lots of kids crying - afraid of the dark? the things "jumping out" at them from the screen? I didn't poll them on their ages, of course :)

If you took your preschooler in, how did he or she do? If they were not afraid, was there something you said ahead of time or during it to ease any potential fears?

My son will be 4.5 years at the time of our trip, and he's never been in a movie theater... although he's seen his fair share of Disney cartoons at home and loves Donald Duck.

Thanks in advance,

[madi47]

my DD7 has been going in this attraction for years. She was never scared of it. It's actually one of her favorites! Although I should say that she is not scared of rides. The only ride that got her a few years ago was dinosaur. But now she rides it like a champ:)

[bouncer]

my DS 5 1/2 has been in it 3 or 4 times. the very first time he LOVED it. He was reaching to touch things that came out at him. I think that I explained that we were going to see a show that you had to wear special glasses in and that it would be dark. I can remember watching him and his reaction most of the show and how much he was taken by it. You should be fine with a little pre-show discussion.

[CanadianWDWFan]

I really don't remember anyone crying after seeing it. My DS4 has been loving Philharmagic since he was old enough to keep the 3D glasses on.

[LisRich]

It really does depend on your child's personality. My DS was 4 (almost 5) when he first saw it and was bothered by the loud noises more than anything. If your child doesn't like the sound of fireworks or sudden loud noises, I would think twice. DS has since seen it the last two years and loves it, but still jumps at the loud noises. He is not a fan of thrill rides, but he enjoys Philharmagic.

[CzepielCrew]

We went in 2007 when my DS was 6. He does not like loud noises and did start crying. He had to be taken out. To be honest with you, I thought it was a little loud for me and I used to go to rock concerts in the 80's!:)

[tink70420]

We were in Disney at the beginning of December and DD is 2 years old. She LOVED it!! She was so busy trying to catch everything flying through the air, that she did not realize I was holding the 3D glasses on her face the whole time. I guess it really is all about personality maybe a hit or miss at such young ages.:mickey:

[jrpersinger]

Niether of my kiddos have ever had a problem with PhilarMagic. Its always been a top 5 family attraction for us!

Now, Its Tough To Be A Bug is a whole other conversation! LOL

[MickeyMomof2]

My 4 year old thought it was too loud. She didn't mind the visuals though.

[bdm@pga]

My 5 year old has never liked it.....until I helped her with the experience. The only thing she would watch is when the Ariel's Gems "floated" from the screen. I told her to reach out and grab one. When she did, I told her to wish really hard and put it in my pocket. When she wasn't looking, I bought a bag of gems at the POTC, and later that night during the fireworks, I pulled it out and showed her what her wish could do....she loves the attraction now and it s the first thing she wasn't to see when we get there...hoping for:mickey: more gems I guess!!

[crltkcagle]

My 2, 4, and 6 year old boys loved it! If they got scared in any of the 3-d movies we would just take their glasses off.

[Kenny1113]

I agree with above post. When DS4 was younger he HATED the glasses and would just watch without them on. Now he wears them, I just have to cover him when the water sprays(he hates getting wet, even a little bit).

Now Honey I shrunk the audience DID scare my kids. And tough to be a bug scared my little one when he was 3

[buzznwoodysmom]

I don't recall ever seeing any kids crying during Philharmagic. My kids have been seeing this attaraction since they were 2 years old and 9 months old and have always loved it. I did start taking my kids to the movies when they were 2 and they have always been well behaved. In the past I have taken the 3D glassed off my youngest DS in other 3D shows at WDW when he seemed a bit unsure about what was going on. I remember doing this specifically at Honey I shrunk the audience.

I have, however, seen lots of kids crying at Fantasmic. My kids have always loved this show as well, but for some reason it seems to be scary for quite a few children.

[mrmcgiv]

when he was 2 he was a little bit afraid. Thsi year (at 4) he loved it - A LOT!

[Bob Parr]

My DS who was 5 at the time was completely freaked out and had to be removed. To this day he still won't watch anything in 3D. However my other DS who was 3 had no problem at all.

[g8rgirl29]

My DD first went on this when she was 3yo and absolutely Loved it!! It is one of my favorite memories of that trip. She squealed with delight when Donald pops out of the screen and flew back in her chair from the edge of her seat laughing. She kept taking her glasses off and looking at the screen then at the glasses in amazement. She was trying to catch everything that came out of the screen. I think if you are worried you could keep a few things on you to help out. We carried a small pen light and ear plugs with us just in case but never needed them. And you could try to seat yourself at the exit side so that you could make a quick exit if need be.

[CleveRocks]

When my kids were 5 and 2.5 they loved it. My 2.5 year old wouldn't tolerate the glasses, but she apparently loved the show without them. My 5 year old LOOOOOVED it.

They both loved it when we went back when they were 6.5 and 4 (my 4 year old wore the glasses that time).

And my 6.5 year old and almost-9 year old are looking forward to doing it again next month.

[divinedi]

I have a 19 year old that won't go in any of the 3D films, but she has and probably always will hate loud sudden noises, and doesn't like the popping out things. She also doesn't like HM either, but only the part where 'things' pop out or up. The rest of us love Philharmagic!! Really depends on the person and personality of your daughter.

[DisneyKings]

We took our kids last year & neither had issues any of the times (except when the 8 mo old decided to eat DH's show schedule & he didn't realize she had a ton stuck in the roof of her mouth!) My oldest was 2 and keeps the glasses on pretty well at this & muppets. The youngest doesn't wear the glasses & doesn't pay too much attn to it, usually just eats cheerios or something!

[wire0monkey]

My business partner's 5 year old daughter hates this show. She cried the first time (when she was 3) and she cried the second time (when she was 4).

I've skipped it with my kids, because she had such a bad experience with it.

[fanohpooh]

We just went over New Year's Eve, and my 7 yr. old son didn't like it. He doesn't like loud noises or anything that startles him.The poofs of air and things flying at him tend to frighten him. You may want to just sit near the exit in case you need to make an early exit.

[momof3+twins]

My chicken two year olds wore the glasses! Little ones should be okay. But if you are worried test them on some of the rides in fantasyland first to see how they are doing. And maybe waiting until the 2nd or 3rd day to try it so that they get the idea that yes this place is full of dark loud places but it is also all pretend and fun!!

[iLovethejonasbrothers]

I remeber when my sister was little she did not like the muppet show.(This was way before philharmagic) My mom just did not put the glasses on her and she was fine.