Source: Learning Disability Today, 24 September 2015
Big budget films Pixels, Hotel Transylvania 2 and Inside Out are among October’s Autism Friendly Films line-up, service provider Dimensions has announced.
Cineworld cinemas will show Pixels – note this is a 12A-rated film – on Sunday, October 4 at 11am.
Meanwhile, animated comedy Hotel Transylvania 2 will be screened at Showcase cinemas at 10am on Sunday, October 11, while ODEON cinemas will show the film the following Sunday, starting at 11.30am.
Pan (PG) will be shown at 9 selected ODEON cinemas on Monday, October 19 at 6pm. This is part of the ongoing trial screenings for older audiences.
Finally, Disney Pixar animation Inside Out will be shown at Vue cinemas on Sunday, October 25 at 10am. Please note this may include a 7-minute short called Lava at the beginning.
In Pixels, chaos ensues when aliens misinterpret video feeds of classic arcade games as a declaration of war, so they attack Earth in the form of video games, including Pac-Man and Donkey Kong. Will it be game over for Earth? Not if the US president, along with his childhood friends and video game players have anything to do with it.
Animated comedy sequel Hotel Transylvania 2 picks up the action several years after the first film. Now, Count Dracula has opened up his hotel to non-monsters, and also has a half-human half-vampire grandson, Dennis. However, Dennis isn’t showing his vampire side, so when his mother, Mavis, goes to visit her human-in-laws with Johnny, Drac decides to put Dennis through a ‘monster-in-training’ boot camp. But then matters are complicated when Drac’s grumpy and traditionalist dad, Vlad, turns up and is not happy to see humans welcome at Hotel Transylvania or that his great-grandson is not a pure-blood vampire…
Pan tells the story of an orphan who is spirited away to the magical Neverland. There, he finds fun and dangers, and ultimately discovers his destiny – to become the hero known as Peter Pan.
Finally, in Inside Out, we get to see inside the mind of Riley, a girl who is uprooted from the Midwest of America when her father gets a job in San Francisco. Riley is guided through everyday life by her emotions – Joy, Fear, Disgust, Sadness and Anger – who live in Headquarters, the control centre in Riley’s mind. But as Riley and her emotions struggle to adjust to their new life, turmoil ensues. Although Joy, Riley’s main and most important emotion, tries to keep things positive, the emotions conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house and school.
Sensory friendly environment
Autism Friendly Screenings are mainstream films shown in a sensory friendly environment. Lights are on low, sound is turned down, trailers are omitted and people can bring their own food, make noise and move around the cinema as they feel comfortable.
To view a full list of participating cinemas visit www.dimensions-uk.org/autismfriendly