What movies are on your must-watch prep list?

[musika]

Bonus points if you would recommend them for kids age 7 and 10. Younger kid will watch anything. Older kid gets a little iffy around super scary scenes. Both have seen all HP films ... what else would you watch so that they know as much backstory as possible before going?

 

[Kit Jackson]

If they can handle the entire Harry Potter series, they can probably handle the first Men in Black. ET is an absolute childhood classic. Maybe Blues Brothers if you plan on taking a break and watching the stage show. Maybe episodes Simpsons, especially Tree House of Horror episodes for Kodos and Kang.

What is thier tolerance for rides? Any issues with drops, motion sickness, low tolerance for motion simulators? It would make sense to prep for the rides they are most likely to do. If one the kids hates drops, you will probably not be riding Jurassic Park.

I'm pretty much a ride coward so I tend to skip most/all of the coasters and the more intense thrill rides.

 

[joshua4]

We are in the same "prep period" you are. I would add Dispicable Me movies. Also, Madagascar and Trolls movies (although I have no idea if there will be an character interaction with characters from those movies now that the dreamworks section is closed down). Same thing with the Shrek movies. I am hopeful that Shrek and donkey are still there to meet but I don't know. Maybe the Transformer movies (not sure how scary those are)?

 

[musika]

If they can handle the entire Harry Potter series, they can probably handle the first Men in Black. ET is an absolute childhood classic. Maybe Blues Brothers if you plan on taking a break and watching the stage show. Maybe episodes Simpsons, especially Tree House of Horror episodes for Kodos and Kang.

What is thier tolerance for rides? Any issues with drops, motion sickness, low tolerance for motion simulators? It would make sense to prep for the rides they are most likely to do. If one the kids hates drops, you will probably not be riding Jurassic Park.

I'm pretty much a ride coward so I tend to skip most/all of the coasters and the more intense thrill rides.

We've been to Disney 2x and Canada's Wonderland this summer gone by. They've handled some pretty significant coasters - everything we could throw at them at Disney, and at CW they both went on Minebuster and ODD went on Behemoth (YDS wasn't tall enough). So I'm pretty confident they can handle most of the actual rides.

Forgot MiB - we have watched that as a family and they loved it! We haven't watched ET yet with them, I've been trying to convince them to. They've watched a lot of Simpsons. Also been trying to convince them to watch Jurassic Park!

Blues Brothers - we started pre-screening this one last night because it has been forever since I watched it. The prophylactics at the beginning will be fun to explain bahaha. We may start that movie 5 minutes in. Lots of smoking and cursing, but nothing worse than the average 70s/80s movie (I know some people are more sensitive about what they show their kids). We're only about halfway through though. The adults in the party definitely want to watch the BB show!

We are in the same "prep period" you are. I would add Dispicable Me movies. Also, Madagascar and Trolls movies (although I have no idea if there will be an character interaction with characters from those movies now that the dreamworks section is closed down). Same thing with the Shrek movies. I am hopeful that Shrek and donkey are still there to meet but I don't know. Maybe the Transformer movies (not sure how scary those are)?

Yes! We have watched all of those with the exception of Transformers. I think they can probably handle the level of scare but they're hard to find on streamers. Might just check our local library. Really the bigger problem we're having isn't so much the action but the "adult" overtones in a lot of these films. I realllllly wanted them to watch the first Fast and the Furious but I don't think it's gonna be kid appropriate. (Keeping aside the discussion of whether the ride is worth going on, lol)

 

[Skywalker3]

These are all great suggestions. We had kids watch The Mummy years ago before a trip. It does have some scary scenes. Just before our last Oct trip, had my son watch Bourne Identity, since I knew we'd be planning on doing the show. He's 15 though, and had seen most of the other movies. He's not seen all the HP movies, but has seen the first few, so that was a good enough. Jurassic Park would be good for River Adventure, it's pretty intense tho, and Jurassic World for VC. We've still not seen any Transformers, Maybe we'll do that before the next trip
Watching movies is such a great way to get excited for the trip!!!!

 

[MousetersInc]

I think everybody's covered all the bases, but I want to amplify and annotate the list, for others' benefit as well:

• Harry Potter movies: Since the Wizarding World is like 80% of the Universal experience, it's worth laying some groundwork. Note, the subject matter and age appropriacy "ages upward" along with Harry; the Sorcerer's Stone is fairly warm and cute, while the last few are pretty somber. Even a non-fan would do well to watch the first movie, which does most of the world-building (introduces the Hogwarts Express), but note that one of the biggest rides, Gringotts, heavily references material in the last movie (it explains why there's a dragon on top of the building).
• ET: A classic movie worth watching. Although the overall takeaway winds up heartwarming, it does spend most of the movie building an eerie feeling and "jump scare-y" feeling, so there would be a readiness threshold (plus there's some language). The first half of the ride does a great job of capturing some of the tone of the movie, while the second half is worth experiencing just for its beautiful trippiness.
• Despicable Me: Although the whole franchise is lots of fun, the existing ride only references the first movie. (Though the Minions ride that's being built might reference the "Minions" movies?) A cute kids' movie, enjoyable for adults, with little problematic content besides clownish super-villainy.
• MIB: One of my favorite movies, but it does have a PG-13 rating, for reasons. Research to see if your kids are ready.
• Mummy: This focuses more on camp than horror, but it does have walking/roaring/disintegrating corpses, and so does the ride. There could be people who wouldn't take it well.
• Jurassic Park franchise: The original movie definitely has thresholds of who will enjoy watching it. My younger daughter, at 10 yrs old, walked out halfway through, even though she later handled all the Jurassic World movies. Although Jurassic Park isn't truly a "horror" movie per se, it does take some elements of their dna and then combines them with elements of thriller/adventure. Jump scares, gore, a high body count. My daughter left when the frightened adventurer felt a comforting hand of a friend on their shoulder, but then it turned out the rest of the friend wasn't attached. Note, for Velocicoaster, what matters most is the Jurassic World movie (2015). It contains video content from the major actors. If one wants, one could watch this movie on its own as long as you know the general premise of the original. While it also has people being eaten by dinos, the overall tone is a little less spooky.
• The Simpsons: I'm old enough to remember how controversial this series was when it started, as the first "edgy" cartoon. It definitely isn't for all ages; for one thing, there's some social satire that would go right over kids' heads. But it could be worth watching a few selected episodes to introduce characters like the Simpsons family, Itchy & Scratchy, Krusty the clown, and Sideshow Bob. The latter is a big part of the 3D ride. Episodes introducing all these can be found in the first season.
• King Kong: We actually didn't make it onto this one so I can't say much to the ride, but my perception is that it (and its spooky queue) are in step with Peter Jackson's treatment. The most problematic thing in that one (or the original?) is not necessarily the big hairy monster, but the ooga-booga-spooky (and culturally discomfiting) natives of Skull Island.
• Hulk: The coaster doesn't require much knowledge beyond what pretty much everyone knows—big green guy, gamma radiation, etc. The queue leans heavily on themes of military/government secrecy and gamma radiation, suggesting that the 2003 movie might connect the most. If this PG-13 movie is not suitable for your party, it might be that some older cartoons or the 1980s live-action show might be enough to establish the premise.
• Spiderman: The ride seems to lean pretty heavily on the animated series; the queue is mainly themed around the Daily Bugle and Jonah Jameson, using cartoon clips. The ride itself features villains Doc Oc, Green Goblin, Electro, and others, in their comic-book color schemes.
• The Tonight Show: There's a mildly entertaining ride, with a usually-short queue, themed around Jimmy Fallon and the Tonight Show. It could be worth watching a few episodes (or youtube clips, to skip the celeb interviews) to establish tropes like Hashtag the Panda.
• Back to the Future: There's a new escape room in Citywalk with a BttF theme (as well as a Jurassic Park one). I don't know much about it. Age appropriacy, aside from language, includes the fact that teenagers engage in flirtation and, although not graphic, what should be understood as attempted (but quickly foiled) sexual assault; my daughter found this disturbing.
• Jaws: There's not much about it left in the park, but there is a shack housing some restrooms, labeled "Amity." Diehard fans (or nostalgic fans of the park) might enjoy making the connection. Of course, this one is definitely not for the squeamish.

 

[MousetersInc]

I think everybody's covered all the bases, but I want to amplify and annotate the list, for others' benefit as well:

• Harry Potter movies: Since the Wizarding World is like 80% of the Universal experience, it's worth laying some groundwork. Note, the subject matter and age appropriacy "ages upward" along with Harry; the Sorcerer's Stone is fairly warm and cute, while the last few are pretty somber. Even a non-fan would do well to watch the first movie, which does most of the world-building (introduces the Hogwarts Express), but note that one of the biggest rides, Gringotts, heavily references material in the last movie (it explains why there's a dragon on top of the building), and Forbidden Journey (as well as the train ride) reference material in the third book/movie.
• ET: A classic movie worth watching. Although the overall takeaway winds up heartwarming, it does spend most of the movie building an eerie feeling and "jump scare-y" feeling, so there would be a readiness threshold (plus there's some language). The first half of the ride does a great job of capturing some of the tone of the movie, while the second half is worth experiencing just for its beautiful trippiness.
• Despicable Me: Although the whole franchise is lots of fun, the existing ride only references the first movie. (Though the Minions ride that's being built might reference the "Minions" movies?) A cute kids' movie, enjoyable for adults, with little problematic content besides clownish super-villainy.
• MIB: One of my favorite movies, but it does have a PG-13 rating, for reasons. Research to see if your kids are ready.
• Mummy: This focuses more on camp than horrror, but it does have walking/roaring/disintegrating corpses, and so does the ride. There could be people who wouldn't take it well.
• Jurassic Park franchise: The original movie definitely has thresholds of who will enjoy watching it. My younger daughter, at 10 yrs old, walked out halfway through, even though she later handled all the Jurassic World movies. Although Jurassic Park isn't truly a "horror" movie per se, it does take some elements of their dna and then combines them with elements of thriller/adventure. Jump scares, gore, a high body count. My daughter left when the frightened adventure felt a comforting hand of a friend on their shoulder, but then it turned out the rest of the friend wasn't attached. Note, for Velocicoaster, what matters most is the Jurassic World movie (2015). It contains video content from the major actors. If one wants, one could watch this movie on its own as long as you know the general premise of the original. While it also has people being eaten by dinos, the overall tone is a little less spooky.
• The Simpsons: I'm old enough to remember how controversial this series was when it started, as the first "edgy" cartoon. It definitely isn't for all ages; for one thing, there's some social satire that would go right over kids' heads. But it could be worth watching a few selected episodes to introduce characters like the Simpsons family, Itchy & Scratchy, Krusty the clown, and Sideshow Bob. The latter is a big part of the 3D ride. Episodes introducing all these can be found in the first season.
• King Kong: We actually didn't make it onto this one so I can't say much to the ride, but my perception is that it (and its spooky queue) are in step with Peter Jackson's treatment. The most problematic thing in that one (or the original?) is not necessarily the big hairy monster, but the ooga-booga-spooky (and culturally discomfiting) natives of Skull Island.
• Hulk: The coaster doesn't require much knowledge beyond what pretty much everyone knows—big green guy, gamma radiation, etc. The queue leans heavily on themes of military/government secrecy and gamma radiation, suggesting that the 2003 movie might connect the most. If this PG-13 movie is not suitable for your party, it might be that some older cartoons or the 1980s live-action show might be enough to establish the premise.
• Spiderman: The ride seems to lean pretty heavily on the animated series; the queue is mainly themed around the Daily Bugle and Jonah Jameson, using cartoon clips. The ride itself features villains Doc Oc, Green Goblin, Electro, and others, in their comic-book color schemes.
• The Tonight Show: There's a mildly entertaining ride, with a usually-short queue, themed around Jimmy Fallon and the Tonight Show. It could be worth watching a few episodes (or youtube clips, to skip the celeb interviews) to establish tropes like Hashtag the Panda.
• Back to the Future: There's a new escape room in Citywalk with a BttF theme (as well as a Jurassic Park one). I don't know much about it. Age appropriacy, aside from language, includes the fact that teenagers engage in flirtation and, although not graphic, what should be understood as attempted (but quickly foiled) sexual assault; my daughter found this disturbing.
• Jaws: There's not much about it left in the park, but there is a shack housing some restrooms, labeled "Amity." Diehard fans (or nostalgic fans of the park) might enjoy making the connection. Of course, this one is definitely not for the squeamish.

 

[xipotec]

I think everybody's covered all the bases, but I want to amplify and annotate the list, for others' benefit as well:

• Harry Potter movies: Since the Wizarding World is like 80% of the Universal experience, it's worth laying some groundwork. Note, the subject matter and age appropriacy "ages upward" along with Harry; the Sorcerer's Stone is fairly warm and cute, while the last few are pretty somber. Even a non-fan would do well to watch the first movie, which does most of the world-building (introduces the Hogwarts Express), but note that one of the biggest rides, Gringotts, heavily references material in the last movie (it explains why there's a dragon on top of the building).
• ET: A classic movie worth watching. Although the overall takeaway winds up heartwarming, it does spend most of the movie building an eerie feeling and "jump scare-y" feeling, so there would be a readiness threshold (plus there's some language). The first half of the ride does a great job of capturing some of the tone of the movie, while the second half is worth experiencing just for its beautiful trippiness.
• Despicable Me: Although the whole franchise is lots of fun, the existing ride only references the first movie. (Though the Minions ride that's being built might reference the "Minions" movies?) A cute kids' movie, enjoyable for adults, with little problematic content besides clownish super-villainy.
• MIB: One of my favorite movies, but it does have a PG-13 rating, for reasons. Research to see if your kids are ready.
• Mummy: This focuses more on camp than horrror, but it does have walking/roaring/disintegrating corpses, and so does the ride. There could be people who wouldn't take it well.
• Jurassic Park franchise: The original movie definitely has thresholds of who will enjoy watching it. My younger daughter, at 10 yrs old, walked out halfway through, even though she later handled all the Jurassic World movies. Although Jurassic Park isn't truly a "horror" movie per se, it does take some elements of their dna and then combines them with elements of thriller/adventure. Jump scares, gore, a high body count. My daughter left when the frightened adventure felt a comforting hand of a friend on their shoulder, but then it turned out the rest of the friend wasn't attached. Note, for Velocicoaster, what matters most is the Jurassic World movie (2015). It contains video content from the major actors. If one wants, one could watch this movie on its own as long as you know the general premise of the original. While it also has people being eaten by dinos, the overall tone is a little less spooky.
• The Simpsons: I'm old enough to remember how controversial this series was when it started, as the first "edgy" cartoon. It definitely isn't for all ages; for one thing, there's some social satire that would go right over kids' heads. But it could be worth watching a few selected episodes to introduce characters like the Simpsons family, Itchy & Scratchy, Krusty the clown, and Sideshow Bob. The latter is a big part of the 3D ride. Episodes introducing all these can be found in the first season.
• King Kong: We actually didn't make it onto this one so I can't say much to the ride, but my perception is that it (and its spooky queue) are in step with Peter Jackson's treatment. The most problematic thing in that one (or the original?) is not necessarily the big hairy monster, but the ooga-booga-spooky (and culturally discomfiting) natives of Skull Island.
• Hulk: The coaster doesn't require much knowledge beyond what pretty much everyone knows—big green guy, gamma radiation, etc. The queue leans heavily on themes of military/government secrecy and gamma radiation, suggesting that the 2003 movie might connect the most. If this PG-13 movie is not suitable for your party, it might be that some older cartoons or the 1980s live-action show might be enough to establish the premise.
• Spiderman: The ride seems to lean pretty heavily on the animated series; the queue is mainly themed around the Daily Bugle and Jonah Jameson, using cartoon clips. The ride itself features villains Doc Oc, Green Goblin, Electro, and others, in their comic-book color schemes.
• The Tonight Show: There's a mildly entertaining ride, with a usually-short queue, themed around Jimmy Fallon and the Tonight Show. It could be worth watching a few episodes (or youtube clips, to skip the celeb interviews) to establish tropes like Hashtag the Panda.
• Back to the Future: There's a new escape room in Citywalk with a BttF theme (as well as a Jurassic Park one). I don't know much about it. Age appropriacy, aside from language, includes the fact that teenagers engage in flirtation and, although not graphic, what should be understood as attempted (but quickly foiled) sexual assault; my daughter found this disturbing.
• Jaws: There's not much about it left in the park, but there is a shack housing some restrooms, labeled "Amity." Diehard fans (or nostalgic fans of the park) might enjoy making the connection. Of course, this one is definitely not for the squeamish.

This is the definitive list….bravo.