158. Peppa Pig - Festival of Fun; movie review

PEPPA PIG - FESTIVAL OF FUN
Cert U
66 mins
BBFC advice: Contains no material likely to harm or offend

What should we do before playing in a golf tournament in Bridlington?
Ah, yes - go to one of the more unusual cinemas in the country to watch Peppa Pig and her festival of fun.
The Forum Cinema is a curiosity because it is at the back of a games arcade on the seafront.
This didn't halt our embarrassment at going to see a film for three-year-olds.
So, when buying two adult tickets, Mrs W felt compelled to tell the assistant that we were watching the cartoon porcine in the name of research.
He reassured us it was a quiet day and we thought our luck was in when the only people in the auditorium were a young mum and her small child in the front row.
They would not have spotted the two old folk who were hiding in the back row, we agreed.
The same could not be said of two families who arrived just as the movie began - they must have wondered what on earth we were doing.
Regardless of our shame, I have to report again that Peppa Pig (voiced by Harley Bird) is a very clever children's animation and that is why it has achieved worldwide success.
Yep, some may think it comprises only of snorting pigs dancing in muddy puddles but it is educational and funny (even for adults).
We particularly enjoyed how Peppa's mum and dad spend much of the time rolling their eyes or dropping sarcastic comments at what she or her grandparents get up to.
The Festival Of Fun shows a progression of thinking since First Cinema Experience a few years ago.
This time, instead of an adult falling around on stage and then presented each ten-minute episode, there are children who act out different fun scenes.
Even as a hardened old chap, I found them rather cute, prompting memories of the much younger days of our grown-up children.
And then there are the Peppa episodes with the appearance of the rib-tickling hero, Super Potato and a music festival in a ... muddy field.
They aren't taxing and neither are they meant to be but they are consistent and that is what young children want.
We wouldn't have wanted it to last much more than an hour but its target audience were lapping up every minute.

Reasons to watch: You can't deny it's clever
Reasons to avoid: If you don't have small children

Laughs: Three for us - more for the toddlers
Jumps - Only in muddy puddles
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 7/10

Did you know? The creators of the television show, Mark Baker, Neville Astley, and Phil Davies have gone from animation graduates at Middlesex Polytechnic in the 1980s to creating a global franchise worth £660m.

The final word. Hayley Bird: "I started when I was five, this is my 13th year of doing it. It's so normal for me now."

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