A Playground in a Cinema??!!

Hello peeps! How was your long weekend? Too short, wasn't it? We were in Kuantan for the first two days, but left for home on Sunday afternoon so we could beat the crazy traffic. On Labour Day, Hubby had to work (oh the irony!) hence the kids and I decided to have some fun without him!

A friend shared a photo of her and her family sitting on a very cosy looking bean bag, watching a movie at the cinemas. Intrigued, I googled the place. That was how I discovered MBO Kecil.

MBO Kecil is a cinema made for kids in mind. Other than cosy bean bags and sofa beds, it has a PLAYGROUND too!!! Yes you read that right. A playground in the cinema! The cinema allows kids to run around during the movie; the younger ones can ride the slide and play at the playground while the older ones (Mum and Dad included) enjoy the show. How will they run in the dark, you think? Well - they dimmed the lights just slightly during the movie, ensuring good visibility for everyone! So you can confidently let the kids roam around, knowing that they are safe and sound within the cinema hall compound.

MBO Kecil is in Starling Mall, a new mall in the Damansara Uptown area. Before we drove into the mall, we went on a joy ride around Uptown collecting Pokeballs. *giggles* Starling Mall is relatively deserted, as most outlets have not opened. Of course, the MBO Cinemas on Level 5 was brand spanking new, spacious and impressive to the eyes.

Our local MBO cinema is gloomy and dark, but this one is the complete opposite! Spacious, airy and full of light.

Kids insisted on doing Avengers poses at the entrance. Nasib baik comel!

We were wowed as soon as we walked into MBO Kecil. There are three types of seats in the cinema; four sofa beds (max two adults two children) furthest away from the screen, three rows of normal seats right after, and then three rows of 'bean bag' seats which end right at the start of the playground. The playground is at a lower elevation, located right underneath the screen. There is a long slide which takes your child from the seats elevation down to the playground. (Or you can always take the stairs down!) Be forewarned that the cinema will be quite noisy - what do you expect from a cinema that is made just for kids??!!

Entrance into MBO kecil. There was even a baby changing room right opposite the cinemal hall! And seat layout plan so you can craft your kids' exit path to the playground. *chuckles*

Since I can't do justice to the seat layout from my humble camera, here's a birds eye view from MBO Cinema's Facebook page.

Ian exploring the playground. Quite impressive, eh?

He didn't really like the slide down ("It's scawyyy") but actually agreed to pose at the start of the slide.

Our bean bag seats.

See how the seat width is just nice for Ian? Note also that the seat is at the same elevation as the floor (that's why it's called a bean bag instead of a chair).... 

Which was a slighttttt problem because it meant that I had to curve my legs like this throughout the movie. BTW, those are my knees! Good tip, choose the first row of bean bags so you have more leg room. But it also means that you've got to literally lie on your back to get a good view of the screen.

If the bean bags are not good enough for you, try the sofa beds. Note that it is the furthest away from the screen so you get a comfortable viewing experience but you won't be that close to the playground in case you need to keep an eye on your child.

My verdict? One thumb up for creativity and effort to integrate children into the movie-going scene. A lot of thought was obviously poured into the design of the cinema, while keeping the sanity of parents in mind. The only thing to be improved would be the size of the bean bags, and its distance to the screen.

That being said, I would still visit MBO Kecil in the future. The kids absolutely enjoyed themselves, and where else would I find a playground in a cinema, in Malaysia???!!!