Since Noey started Primary 1 this year, time with him has become a precious commodity. While I have been relieved to find that Primary 1 has not been overly stressful or hectic, the reality is that he is in school for nearly 7 hours a day. And when he gets home, there is precious little time to do much. On most days, he has either a class or CCA to attend, after which I try to squeeze in a bit of downtime, a bit of homework, a bit of piano practice and then rush him off to bed.
As a result, a lot of our interaction has been reduced to me nagging at him. “HURRY UP!” I tell him, oh maybe 200 times a day. It is a bit sad. Or more accurately, it was making me sad.
So when he had a rare school holiday last week thanks to the PSLE orals, I decided to bring him out for some one-on-one time with me. I actually asked him if he would rather have a playdate but he told me he would rather hang out with me. I think he was mostly chuffed that he got to have a school holiday and his sister didn’t! But I was still glad that he wanted to spend the time with me instead of meeting up with friends. Score one for Mama here!
To give ourselves a longer stretch of time together, I arranged for my Dad to help me pick Mei up from school. Then Noey and I set off on our excursion for the day — checking out the DreamWorks Animation Exhibition at the ArtScience Museum.
First order of the day: Breakfast!
Noey was excited about the morning but I was definitely more excited, determined as I was to savour the time with my son. Unaware of mummy’s real agenda, Noey himself was more interested in the actual activities for the day, and from the get-go, kept himself busy exploring. We stopped at Beanstro for breakfast just as the water came roaring through the roof in its hourly cascade and Noey was just fascinated, running around to see it from different angles and asking me a bunch of questions relating to the hows and whys of the water feature. (I’ve since learned that it’s called a rain oculus! How fancy huh!)
Watching him, I was mostly struck with nostalgia, thrown back to the time when it was just Noey and I going on expeditions together every other day. Yes, I did get all misty-eyed about how quickly time has flown by and how tall he is now. At the same time, I smiled to myself about how some things don’t change as he slipped his hand into mine and prattled on, spewing random facts about everything he came across.
He is absorbed with the view of the skyline but all I can see is how tall and skinny my boy has become.
Investigating the roots of water plants.
It was the DreamWorks Animation Exhibition that we were there for so that was where we headed first.
The exhibition is touted as providing a rare glimpse into the behind-the-scenes work that goes into creating DreamWorks hit animation films, and I was indeed struck by the many aspects that go into the making of these films. We don’t really think about it when we watch an animated film but each scene is a result of hours of sketching, modelling, computer graphic work and production work by the animation and production teams, all painstakingly pieced together into a seamless whole.
When I think of DreamWorks, what pops immediately to mind are Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar. But visiting this exhibition reminded me of the many other animated films they released that I enjoyed. Remember Antz their first ever animated film? And also The Prince of Egypt, which I have completely forgotten about!
We’re here! Do you recognise the characters on the wall behind?
First, some useful information. This exhibition is divided into three sections — Character, Story and World, the three mainstays of animated films. The first section, Character, traces the evolution of iconic DreamWorks animated characters from original concept drawings and sketches to fully developed personalities. The next section, Story, is where you get to explore the process of constructing a feature length narrative, from original inspiration to final storyline. The final section, World, focuses on the complex and magical environments that are integral to the animated films.
The exhibition is not big, though there’s quite a bit to look at, especially if you are a fan of all the artwork. Noey’s favourite parts were definitely the interactive computer stations. One which allowed you to change a character’s facial expressions and another which allowed you to create your own sea had him hooked for a long time. Both of us agreed that Dragon’s Flight, which takes you on a “flight” on a dragon’s back, thanks to the 180 degree immersive view, was one of the highlights!
Models of Shrek and Donkey
Tweaking expressions — and having a lot of fun doing it!
A huge digital storyboard on which you can watch the pitch for the “Interogating Gingy” science from Shrek.
A simple tear sheet that allows you to make your own flip book. I used to love making these when I was a kid!
Diorama showing the evolution of Dr Peabody and Sherman. We just watched this film recently so it was really a good time to explore some of the thought process that went into creating this story and film.
Create your own sea, and make it as rough or as calm as you choose. Noey loved this one.
Looking at the artwork for Rise of the Guardians. Another DVD that we just watched which Noey really enjoyed so he was extra thrill to see these.
Madagascar!
We enjoyed this immersive film so much we watched it twice!
Overall the exhibition was a good experience. One for the animation fan, most certainly. But I was glad I didn’t bring Mei as I think it would not have appealed to her and she would have been bored. I think as an adult, I was better placed to enjoy it than my son, who found it ok — not fantastic but enjoyable enough.
Because it was more economical, I bought the “All Access” ticket which also allowed us entry to The Deep, an exhibition showcasing deep sea life. This is something Noey and the husband are both fascinated by so I knew he had to take a look.
The exhibition was presented in the dark, so Noey was a bit wary of stepping in. But he warmed up after getting his hands on the UV torches in the first space and after that, had no issues walking around looking at the different exhibits. There were plenty of pictures and preserved specimens so there was quite a bit to look at but I did wish that the information was better presented. The information panels were sometimes set off to the side which made it a bit difficult to cross-refer to these.
Luckily for me, I was with my walking encyclopaedia of a son. Remember what I said earlier about loving to spew random facts? Well, the deep sea is one of his favourite topics to spew random facts about! So he happily prattled on and I was happy to let him. I admit it — I don’t remember much of what he said! But I took great pleasure from hearing him cheerfully talking away.
Kroyer’s Deep Sea Angler Fish.
The weird and the wonderful at the bottom of the ocean.
A Cystisoma amphipod — totally transparent!
When we were done, it was time to go re-connect with our Mei, but not before we got some lunch. I decided to skip the pricey options at MBS and drove us to the National Library to get Noey’s favourite Chicken Chop from Hanis. He was all smiles!
Yeah, Chicken Chop!
I asked him if he had a good day. “Yes, it was quite fun,” he said, thinking back on the Dreamworks exhibition, which he rated 7 out of 10. He didn’t ask me, but I had a great day that had nothing to do with what we actually did but more to do with his carefree enjoyment of our little outing. Now to do this more often before he reaches the age where it is uncool to hang out with his Mama!
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