Take A Spring Break At Boro Film Museum
Astoria’s Museum of the Moving Image will be a lively destination for families during spring recess. From Saturday, March 27, through Friday, April 9, the Museum will be open every day, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. In addition to its interactive exhibition Behind the Screen, the Museum will feature hourly screenings of “Higglety Pigglety Pop!,” a live-action and animated short based on Maurice Sendak’s children’s book and produced by Spike Jonze (“Where the Wild Things Are”). There will also be hands-on workshops for children and special demonstrations in the galleries.
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| The Children’s classic “Higglety Pigglety Pop!, or There Must Be More to Life” will be presented on film during the NYC Schools spring break at the Museum of the Moving Image. |
Written and directed by Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, and featuring the voices of Meryl Streep and Forest Whitaker, “Higglety Pigglety Pop!, or There Must Be More to Life” brings Maurice Sendak’s memorable character, Jennie the Sealyham Terrier, to the screen. Jennie has everything, but decides to pack it all up in a black leather bag with gold buckles and go on a journey. Her dream is to become the star of the World Mother Goose Theater.
Combining live action featuring puppets and actors with animation, the film was created by Canadian filmmakers Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski who were nominated for an Oscar for their 2007 film Madame Tutli-Putli.
There will also be daily moving pictures workshops for kids age 6-12 where children discover what makes moving images move and make their own Thaumatropes—19-century optical toys—to take home.
For the slightly older crowd (over age 10), the museum will hold a daily Stop-Motion Animation Workshop at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Children will learn about the technique of stop-motion animation and create their own animated movies, which are shared online. To view a sample animation created by a workshop participant, go to youtube.com/mmieducation. The fee is $10 per child, $5 for Museum members. Space is limited; register at the admissions desk.
Throughout the day, there will also be demonstrations of Thomas Edison’s Kinetoscope; the sound editing used for “Titanic” and video game technology, which will show how video games were invented, and will give kids an opportunity to play popular historic console games.
During the break, the museum will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 27, through Friday, April 9. At other times, the Museum is open Tuesday through Friday: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and school groups by appointment. Admission is $7 for adults, senior citizens, college students, children 8-18 (includes screenings, but additional fees apply for workshops). Admission is free for members and kids under age 8.
The Museum of the Moving Image is located at 35th Avenue at 36th Street in Astoria. To learn more, call (718) 784-0077 or go to movingimage.us.