Treasure Planet Movie Night

We’re millennial parents with a one year old, so naturally we wanted to kick off our family movie night tradition with nostalgia. Our first movie is one we both remember watching (on VHS, of course) when we were kids.
One that didn’t get nearly the love it deserved: Treasure Planet.

This movie holds such a special place in my heart. Some songs have this way of instantly pulling you back in time — and for me, “I’m Still Here” by John Rzeznik (the lead singer of the Goo Goo Dolls) does exactly that. I feel like a kid again every time it plays — wide-eyed, full of wonder. I think my eyes tear up a little every time.

I’m a musician, and a music lover. And a good soundtrack? That’ll get me every time.

At its core, Treasure Planet is about a young man trying to find himself and his worth — and while my one-year-old didn’t quite grasp the deeper meaning (or, let’s be real, the plot), he had a blast. He ran laps around the living room, danced to the music, and devoured snacks like a champ.

Here are some of the fun things we did to bring the movie to life:

Food and Drinks

We have a little one with allergies, so our snacks and meals will always revolve around him. But some fun ideas that tie into the movie:

Powdered Steroids (donuts)
Lunar Eclipses (eggs over easy)
Zorellian Jellyworms (gummy worms)
Bonzabeast Stew
Purp Juice (Grape Juice)
Asteroids (Mashed banana, sunflower butter, and oats rolled into little balls)

Now, my little man was about 14 months old when we did this movie night, so we kept things simple and focused on dinner — stew! Setting out a snack board sounds amazing for when he’s older, but at this age? He’d just sit down and inhale it all in five minutes flat.

It wasn’t exactly Bonzabeast Stew (with lobster, yams, and whatever else Captain Silver was tossing into that pot), but it was delicious! Honestly, I didn’t follow a recipe — I just tossed in what we had until it started tasting good: chicken broth, cut-up kielbasa, potatoes, onions, a can of tomato paste, carrots, celery… You get the idea.

I really wish I had written it down so I could recreate it, but hey — so it goes sometimes. I don’t even have a picture of it finished, just a video with the instapot full of carrots and potatoes while my toddler chomps on a raw onion next to me. He didn’t like it, in case you were wondering, but he kept trying anyways.

Activities

We kept things simple and toddler-friendly, but still found fun little ways to make the night feel special. Even if he doesn’t put two and two together, movie nights are for us too, and as long as we’re all having fun, that’s what matters.

Try and use things in your home that you already have that can can kind of fit the theme.

Here’s what we did:

Stars & Planets Everywhere!

We have a little foam climbing set that’s covered in glow-in-the-dark stars and planets, so we made it the centerpiece of the room. Instant space vibes!
You can also consider sticking reusable glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling and walls. Or turn it into a craft — older kids can draw, color, and cut out stars to tape up around the room. It doesn’t have to be fancy to feel magical.

Cardboard Telescope Craft

We made a simple play telescope out of a paper towel roll. If your child is older, have them help make it during the movie! We wrapped ours in tin foil (No glue, no mess), but you can also let them color it with markers. Make it even cooler with some plastic wrap on one end and draw a planet or stars with sharpies on it, so when they look through, they can see a little bit of outer space.

Dance Breaks

Any time there’s music, my little one will pop up and start dancing along, so we made sure to join in.

Asteroid Toss Game

You can grab a ball or two, roll up some socks, or even use tin foil balls as “asteroids.” Then just toss them into whatever you’ve got lying around — a laundry basket, big pot, toy bin… anything goes.
Want to take it a step further? Cut holes into a big cardboard box and decorate them like different planets with point values. It doesn’t have to be fancy — it just has to be fun.

These are all relatively quick, easy, and made him feel like he was part of the story — even if he was mostly just doing laps with a snack in hand.

Mama Made Magic