The Moose Jaw Cultural Centre will be showing three movies over the Family Day weekend. Admission will be free with a non-perishable donation to the Moose Jaw & District Food Bank.
The movies will show on Feb. 19, 20, and 21 in the Mae Wilson Theatre.
- Saturday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. – The Emperor’s New Groove (2000)
- Sunday, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. – The Mighty Ducks (1992)
- Monday, Feb. 21 at 2 p.m. – Coco (2017)
The selection of Disney movies was decided upon by a variety of methods, including an in-house staff poll and some social media polls.
Jennifer Warren, theatre attendant supervisor at the Cultural Centre, said that they wanted to show a sort of classic Disney film on the first day. The Emperor’s New Groove was released in 2000 as a counter-point to the dramatic musicals Pocahontas (1995) and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996).
It didn’t do so well at the box office, but The Emperor’s New Groove went on to become 2001’s best-selling DVD. It is full of fourth-wall breaks, contemporary references, and self-mocking plot devices that the characters themselves acknowledge make no sense. It has since become a beloved cult classic and meme source in the internet age.
The Sunday film, Warren said, was chosen as a nostalgia-inducing appeal to parents. “We’re throwing back to our childhoods, or at least those of us who are in their 30s… nearing 40… so, we’re doing The Mighty Ducks!”
Emilio Estevez’s role as a hockey coach with a tragic childhood hockey trauma kicked off one of the most beloved franchises of the 90s. The movie is noted for being critically panned despite its popularity, and Estevez was reportedly surprised by the success.
Lastly, for a Monday matinee showing, Coco won many awards in 2017. The National Board of Review chose it as their best animated film that year, and it won the Academy Awards for best animated feature and best original song. It was lauded for its celebration of Mexican culture and its all-Latino cast.
Coco was inspired by the Mexican Day of the Dead holiday. It tells the story of a young boy (Miguel) who loves music, but whose family have forbidden any kind of music at all. After an extraordinary and brightly-coloured adventure in the Land of the Dead, Miguel watches the movie to discover the ending, because we don’t do spoilers here.
COVID restrictions are in place for anyone 12 and over, so proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID test will need to be shown at the door. Warren mentioned that youth aged 12+ can also come by themselves or with their friends as long as they have ID.
Non-perishable donations for the food bank are the only price for admission, but, Warren said, “we’ll also be popping the popcorn and beverages will for sale as well.”
