I was just wondering if anyone has seen it yet? *What did you think?
I read that its rated PG but its not first grade fare? *Maybe more appropriate for preteens?

Monster House - PG
*Starring: Steve Buscemi, Spencer Locke, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jon Heder
more credits
Directed by: Gil Kenan
Release Date: 07/21/06
Run time: 91 min.
Genre: Horror, Science Fiction, Animation, Action and Adventure, Drama

More about the movie
*
Yes, it's animated, but this is definitely not first-grade fare like 'Cars' or 'Madagascar.' The imaginative adventure is best suited for kids the same age as the protagonists -- about to hit puberty. First-time director Gil Kenan's original horror fantasy follows DJ, a preteen boy obsessed with his neighbor, a mean-spirited coot (crotchety Steve Buscemi) who's unexpectedly sent to the hospital. As DJ and his buddy Chowder discover on Halloween eve, the neighbor's house isn't just haunted, it's alive, and it eats everything -- and everyone -- that dares step on its lawn. With a carpet runner for a tongue and windows for eyes, the house is a menacing force poised to devour trick-or-treaters. That is, if the kids can't figure out how to stop it. Rated PG for scary images and sequences, thematic elements, some crude humor and brief language.

What's in It for the Kids: For children on the cusp of being too old for Halloween but too young to be left at home without a sitter, this is a dream come true. Kenan has created a movie just for them -- more tween-sophisticated (the boys are adept at arm-playing, peeing in bottles AND vying for a girl's attention) and freaky than any other animated feature in recent history. Scratch that -- ever. But if your kid is of the easily creeped out variety, this is a movie to skip … at least for a couple of years.

What's in It for You: First, is a reminder that hiring a local teenager -- especially one who digs musicians -- to baby-sit your child overnight isn't wise. Second is the opportunity to see some genuinely thrilling animation. The 'Poltergeist' has little on this 'Monster House.' Even an adult might get a little spooked.

Redeeming Social Value: Kids will learn once and for all that it's not a good idea to marry a ravenous carnie. And if they didn't appreciate the idea of property rights before this thriller, they sure will now. There's not much of a message here, except perhaps to not judge your neighborhood's old codger so harshly. After all, maybe his wife is, er, a monster. You'll see what we mean.

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Mary

I just went to see it last Saturday with my soon to be 5 year old. He loved it! I think it is PG mostly for some "scary" parts at the end and some "puberty" related jokes but my son didn't really get those jokes anyway. IMO it is not too scary for a 1 st grader.....most kids I saw were probably 8 and under when I went.