EKT Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 We recently finished reading some of the Oz books and I was thinking of watching the (Judy Garland, 1930s) film version just for fun and so we could have a discussion about the differences between the book and the film, etc. Common Sense Media originally had the movie listed at age 10+, but now lists it for age 6+, so I'm unsure when to show it. I don't want to give my children nightmares! (I know that as the youngest child in a large family I saw it very young and it did give me nightmares, but I thought maybe it would be okay for at least my 8-year-old.) Thoughts? If you've shown it, what age were your kids at the time? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HelenNotOfTroy Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 My 8 year old saw it this year, but we have read many of the Oz books and he watches Doctor Who, which has scary monsters/aliens. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 It just depends on the kid. If your child is prone to being disturbed by those kinds of things, wait. I have one who still can't watch Mufasa die in the lion king (spoiler alert lol) and another that is complete unphased. The unphased one is the younger! I always err on the side of waiting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKT Posted October 7, 2015 Author Share Posted October 7, 2015 It just depends on the kid. If your child is prone to being disturbed by those kinds of things, wait. I have one who still can't watch Mufasa die in the lion king (spoiler alert lol) and another that is complete unphased. The unphased one is the younger! I always err on the side of waiting! This made me LOL! :-) Thanks for your thoughts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptor_dad Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 Older DS read all 13+ Oz books towards the end of Kindergarten. Before and shortly after that we had done the first 3 Oz books as read alouds with both boys. Shortly after that we watched the movies. So older DS was 6yo and younger was an older 4yo. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 Right around age 4 here. It was fantastically magical for them. Not scary at all. If they've heard the books I wouldn't give it a second thought to introducing it to kids. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 I also think it really depends on your DC. My DC aren't very sensitive to potentially scary movies/stories. I'd be okay with my almost 6yo watching it, but I can see other DC having issues with it. Those flying monkeys scared me when I was a kid! :lol: We are reading Oz right now and I've been planning on having them watch it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southern Ivy Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 My coworker's daughter is 4 and is an avid fan of The Wizard of Oz. I remember being scared of the monkeys when I was 8, but I loved the rest. EDIT: Monkeys, not monkey's. GEEZ! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 My kids all watched it as toddlers. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 I think we watched it last year (ages 6 and 8)...or maybe the year before. I remember watching it in kindergarten in 1985. :p FWIW, my kids also enjoyed Oz the Great and Powerful, but it's a bit more intense. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 My more sensitive child was ready at 8:00 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathwonk Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 when i saw it as a kid, both the monkeys and dorothy hamilton's witch character scared me too near the end, but when she got melted i think i breathed a sigh of relief. do you guys remember when people read "grimm" fairy tales as young children? those were pretty scary too i recall. also disney's snow white, bambi, etc..., not to mention the old testament, which however i recall was reserved for much older reading. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaraby Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 We read the book and then watched the movie last year(?) so my youngest was 4/5. Having read the book and knowing what's going to happen seems to help here. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 It was the first movie my kids watched, a little before age 2. They have watched it many times since then. My smarter kid found the flying monkeys a bit much, but I still view it as a kid movie. I would not restrict it unless I had a very sensitive kid. When I was a kid, I also watched it every Thanksgiving, starting before I can remember. I love that movie! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco_Clark Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 We've read the book (and my kids were raised on Grimm from infant hood) but I still wouldn't personally show the movie to either of my kids (6 and 7). There's something so overwhelming about movies. When you are reading it's up to your imagination, ya know? Then again the list if movies my kids have been traimitized by include Finding Nemo, Brave, and one version of Whinnie the Poo. So.... 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcitedMama Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 I was going to recommend this Amazon show: https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B00Z89MYTI?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0 That DS loved about Oz but for some reason its listed as unavailable. I have no idea what that means but it was a great show that DS watched a lot if it ever becomes available again or if they make it into a series. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 I'd say 6, or around first grade. I remember showing it to my afterschool daycare "class" in the 80's. As a young teacher, I didn't realize that parents seem to want to save WoO to watch as a family at home! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 My dd is 5 and watches no tv but does get to see movies every few weeks. She watched the Wizard of Oz at 4. The wicked witch scared her a little but no more so than bad guys in other disney movies. She didn't have nightmares from it at all. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaConquest Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 Mine saw it as a toddler, but it was probably too soon for him to get most of it. I am still deathly afraid of tornadoes because of the Wizard of Oz! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 I say whenever. I also think that it's hard to predict what kids will find really scary. I myself thought the old Willy Wonka movie was possibly one of the most disturbing things on the planet as a child. My kids were like, what, this is nothing. On the other hand, at age 5, they did completely lose it watching the old Disney animated Alice in Wonderland. Apparently shrinking and growing is really freaky. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 I have no idea when each of my kids saw it. Young. Before 6 for my youngest two. But, like a previous poster, my 8 and 4yos are Doctor Who fans. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sk8ermaiden Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 It was toddlerhood here, and fine. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 It absolutely depends on the child. Is yours easily scared by monsters? What other types of movies that might be considered scary has she seen? DD watched it and was fine with it. I think she may have been 8. A friend of hers, who is now 15, still won't watch it. She finds it scary. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKT Posted October 7, 2015 Author Share Posted October 7, 2015 I say whenever. I also think that it's hard to predict what kids will find really scary. I myself thought the old Willy Wonka movie was possibly one of the most disturbing things on the planet as a child. My kids were like, what, this is nothing. On the other hand, at age 5, they did completely lose it watching the old Disney animated Alice in Wonderland. Apparently shrinking and growing is really freaky. OMG yes, that scene where Willy Wonka goes through the tunnel on the boat?! That freaked me out for years! lol. That movie is so creepy. (But my husband and I often quote that movie, shouting "GOOD DAY!" at each other in mock-anger as our running joke, so...there's that, lol.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 My daughter is 5. I would have been comfortable with her watching it after we read the first book a couple months ago, but she gets a little freaked out by on-screen violence and decided for herself not to watch it yet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefgazer Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 I'd say no younger than 8, for an average, not-exceptionally-brave/not-exceptionally-timid kid. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SebastianCat Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 My kids were both very sensitive about movies and special effects when they were preschool through early elementary ages. I think we waited to show them the Wizard of Oz until the younger was about 8. I remember watching it as a child when I was around 10 and my younger sister was 5, and she had nightmares for months about the flying monkeys. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 :svengo: Do not do what my dh did, show them The Wizard of Oz at 2 1/2. Because it's scary? No, because you will be buying little red shoes for the rest of your child's life!! My sensitive dd wouldn't watch a lot of movies but she started with this one and it didn't bother her. Well she thought the trees were a little creepy. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 :svengo: Do not do what my dh did, show them The Wizard of Oz at 2 1/2. Because it's scary? No, because you will be buying little red shoes for the rest of your child's life!! My sensitive dd wouldn't watch a lot of movies but she started with this one and it didn't bother her. Well she thought the trees were a little creepy. So funny--Ds and I went to a consignment store this summer to look for stuff for his niece/my granddaughter (for the shower). We walked in and immediately saw a table full of little shoes. Ds ("Film Buff") picked up a pair of sparkly, newborn "Dorothy" shoes, raised his eyebrows at me...and we bought them. LOL! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daijobu Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 My husband and I warned our kids about the scary flying monkeys, but we completely forgot about the scary angry apple tree that threw apples at Dorothy and friends. That apple tree was scary. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourisenough Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 I saw it while sleeping over at a friend's house around age 10, and I was TERRIFIED. Had nightmares for months. Willy Wonka also freaked me out. My older three girls have seen/aren't bothered by both/either films. Youngest DD is most sensitive, so we'll wait. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AppleGreen Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 Mine just watched it for the first time a few weeks ago. The youngers and I had just finished reading the book. My almost 7 year old was not phased in the least. My 9 year old was sorely disappointed at "all the good stuff from the book that they left out." I think the porcelain city was highly anticipated, but then when it wasn't in the movie, that was a big ol' let down. Honestly, I think mine were really only so-so about it. The special effects were very dated and all the singing was off putting for a couple of them. It certainly didn't have the magical effect that I remember. It was interesting to read on how/why they chose to make it different from the book. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKT Posted October 13, 2015 Author Share Posted October 13, 2015 Mine just watched it for the first time a few weeks ago. The youngers and I had just finished reading the book. My almost 7 year old was not phased in the least. My 9 year old was sorely disappointed at "all the good stuff from the book that they left out." I think the porcelain city was highly anticipated, but then when it wasn't in the movie, that was a big ol' let down. Honestly, I think mine were really only so-so about it. The special effects were very dated and all the singing was off putting for a couple of them. It certainly didn't have the magical effect that I remember. It was interesting to read on how/why they chose to make it different from the book. Aren't the changes so interesting?! I saw the movie first when I was a kid and read the book later. I was shocked to learn her shoes in the novel are silver, not ruby, lol. And yes, the china country is my favorite part of the novel; I always wished that was included. Thanks for your thoughts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daijobu Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 Mine just watched it for the first time a few weeks ago. The youngers and I had just finished reading the book. My almost 7 year old was not phased in the least. My 9 year old was sorely disappointed at "all the good stuff from the book that they left out." I think the porcelain city was highly anticipated, but then when it wasn't in the movie, that was a big ol' let down. That's funny because we had the opposite reaction. We watched the movie first and then heard great things about the book. We just couldn't get into the book at all. It just seemed to drag with one not so interesting adventure after another. At the end of the book we had decided that the movie did a better job of distilling the adventure story and leaving out the boring parts. But then, we're not really a family of readers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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