Hikawera Ferris/Facebook/DisneyIt seems to be a common thing these days for cinema-goers to curl out a list of ‘rules’ for other attendees so movies aren’t ‘ruined’ for them.
The recent Avengers film had boyfriends setting rules for girlfriends, and girlfriends setting rules for boyfriends, of what to do during the film to ensure maximum enjoyment and minimum disruption. Then there are lists not so much for cinema-goers, but just some words of wisdom from a concerned mum.
Now, however, a man in New Zealand hasn’t exactly set out rules, but has begged parents not to take their children to see The Lion King – a children’s film – because he – an adult – wants to enjoy the children’s film without the distraction of kids in the cinema.
Posting on Facebook, Hikewera Ferris wrote:
To all the parents in porirua please do NOT take your kids to the movies tmrw night to watch lion king, it’s the holidays so take them during the day while us adults are at mahi. After 5 is our time… I will have no dramas telling your tamariki to shut the whakarongotai up if they’re making unnecessary noise!! Don’t ruin my time with mufasa and simbux… said with love
To all the parents in porirua please do NOT take your kids to the movies tmrw night to watch lion king, it’s the…
Posted by Hikawera Ferris on Monday, July 15, 2019
On the one hand, I can see his point – loud kids can ruin a cinema-goer’s experience, and Ferris was probably only a little kid himself when the first Lion King movie came out, so no doubt holds it close to his heart as many of us do.
On the other hand, this isn’t a sequel, this is simply a remake for a new audience. The film and its plot is essentially the same, so we all know what happens, right?
Speaking to Seven Sharp, via Stuff, Ferris said The Lion King is ‘the all-time greatest movie ever created,’ and he didn’t want children ‘yelling and making unnecessary noise’ while he was watching it – wonder if his opinion will hold up after he sees the new one though…
DisneyOf course, reactions to Ferris’ suggestion were a mixed bag.
One person wrote:
Cannot WAIT to see your reaction if someone ever told your baby to shut the whakarongotai up… have some compassion man
Another said:
Don’t even care that I’m not the best singer best believe I’ll be singing at the top of my lungs anyone tell me to shut the whakarewarewa up I’ll get LOUDER
Others agreed with Ferris however, saying ‘Omfg so much truth’, with the post gaining over 5,000 reactions and 1,600 shares at time of writing.
The Lion King is in cinemas now.
If you have a story you want to tell send it to UNILAD via [email protected]
Charlie Cocksedge is a journalist and sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated from the University of Manchester with an MA in Creative Writing, where he learnt how to write in the third person, before getting his NCTJ. His work has also appeared in such places as The Guardian, PN Review and the bin.