The Orca Theater is seen on Wednesday, May 17, 2023, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

The Orca Theater is seen on Wednesday, May 17, 2023, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Orca kicks off kids summer movie series this month

This is the seventh year of “Kids Summer Fun”

Starting later this month, the Orca Theater will show a children’s movie each Tuesday of summer, with discounted admission.

Shelly Endsley, who owns the Orca Theater, said this is the seventh year of “Kids Summer Fun,” and that they put it on to provide more activities for kids in the summer months.

“Whenever your kids are home, you need something for them to do,” she said.

Kids Summer Fun, Endsley said, is exciting because often she sees kids come out for their “first movie ever.”

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Selecting the films for exhibition is a process, Endsley said, which began with her film buyer putting out a request to the studios explaining what they’re looking for. That’s why Endsley said each of the films being shown this summer are owned by Universal Pictures, largely through their Dreamworks Animation and Illumination studios.

Taking all of the films from one studio allowed for most of the films to be sent to Alaska on a single hard drive.

Endsley said she was able to get a list of options early this year and open the selection to the community via Facebook. She said the film that received the most attention was the 1988 film “The Land Before Time.”

“Last year was the first year we had it. And it was huge,” Endsley said. “We’re bringing it back this year.”

For every movie shown, Endsley said there’s a cost she has to pay to the studios — whether one person shows up or whether the show sells out. That’s in addition to paying staff and other expenses. She credited sponsor Trustworthy Hardware with making it a financial reality, “because otherwise I couldn’t do it.”

In addition to that support, Endsley said that Connections Homeschool is providing a free “Kiddie Combo” to the first 25 kids that walk in for each week’s showing.

A full list of films and dates can be found at orcatheater.com, where tickets can also be purchased in advance. All tickets for the Kids Summer Fun showings are $3. A movie will be shown each week on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. from May 30 until Aug. 1, with the exception of July 4.

“Certain movies are going fast,” Endsley said. “If you want those select seats or seats together either come into the theater and pre-purchase your tickets, or you can get on our app or the website.”

Kids Summer Fun Schedule

May 30 — “How to Train Your Dragon”

June 6 — “Trolls World Tour”

June 13 — “The Croods: A New Age”

June 20 — “The Land Before Time”

June 27 — “Minions: The Rise of Gru”

July 11 — “The Secret Life of Pets”

July 18 — “Sing 2”

July 25 — “Abominable”

Aug. 1 — “Kung Fu Panda”

More in Life

Virginia Walters (Courtesy photo)
Life in the Pedestrian Lane: AI or not?

AI is here to stay, for better or worse, and we have to recognize that there are limitations to its usefulness.

Gluten-free baked goods are often dry and unsatisfying, but these cakes are moist and sweet. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)
Goodness without gluten

These cakes are moist, sweet, and honestly the best gluten-free cake I have ever made.

Homer Public Library Director Dave Berry makes an outgoing call on the library’s public phone on Monday, July 7, 2025, in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Out of the office: Nostalgia is calling

I stopped in at the Homer Public Library and was hailed by a couple of youths who were trying to use the library’s analog public phone.

File
Minister’s Message: Connecting meaningfully with God

What is church, and how is the body of Christ to be lived out?

This is the most famous photograph of Steve Melchior, as a copy of it resides in the Anchorage Museum of History and Art. The Melchior family owns a very similar photograph, with a note in pencil from Steve Melchior on the back. The note, written for family members back in Germany in the late 1920s when Melchior was suffering from rheumatism, says, “That is the only way I can get out because my legs won’t walk anymore. I don’t like driving a car, and the dogs take me wherever I want to go. The one in the front is called Bill (in German, Wilhelm), and the one on the left is called Waldman. The black one on the right is called Nick or Nikolaus. Three good, loyal workers, my bodyguard.”
Steve Melchior: Treasured peninsula pioneer with a sketchy past — Part 2

By at least his early 20s, Steve Melchior had begun to fabricate a past.

David Corenswet is Superman in “Superman.” (Promotional image courtesy DC Studios)
On the Screen: ‘Superman’ a bold vision of hope, kindness

The film dares to say that kindness is “punk rock.”

A clay tea set on display at the Kenai Potters Guild exhibit, “River,” hosted by the Kenai Art Center. (Jonas Oyoumick/Peninsula Clarion)
Making art shaped by the river

Kenai Potters Guild Clay On Display exhibit focuses on a river’s effect on self and community.

A clipping from a Homer Death Cafe poster.
Homer group tackles death and dying through open conversations

The local group mirrors a growing worldwide trend of “Death Cafes.”

Peonies bloom on Friday, July 4, 2024, in the garden beside Cosmic Kitchen on Pioneer Avenue in Homer, Alaska. Photo by Christina Whiting
Homer chamber hosts 6th annual Peony Celebration

The weeks-long festival features art exhibits, events, flower sales, guided farm tours and more.

Most Read