SoCal kids & families, June 13-20: Q Con, ‘Inside Out 2,’ ‘Symphony on the Go’ and more
Encourage your children to learn and grow with our curated list of fun, artsy and engaging events and activities in LA and OC this coming weekend and beyond
Welcome to a new edition of TV or Not TV’s curated guide to artsy, kid-centric and family-friendly events, activities and happenings all around LA and OC this weekend and beyond. I’m Matt Cooper, former listings coordinator for the Los Angeles Times’ Calendar.
Let’s have some fun!
‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ An out-of-work actor poses as a Scottish nanny so he can stay close to his kids after his wife divorces him in this Broadway musical based on the 1993 comedy that starred Robin Williams and Sally Field. Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, thru June 30. $45 and up. (323) 468-1770. broadwayinhollywood.com
(Also at Segerstrom Center in Costa Mesa, Sept. 24 thru Oct. 6)
‘Inside Out 2’ Emotions are running high in Disney and Pixar’s 2024 sequel to their animated 2015 coming-of-age comedy about a young girl’s interior and exterior lives. Kelsey Mann directs. With the voices of Maya Hawke, Amy Poehler, et al. Rated PG. Opens Friday. movies.disney.com
Q Con This family-friendly celebration of LGBTQ+ comics, graphic novels and games returns for a third year. Creators will be on hand for autographs, sketches, etc. and voice cast members from the animated series “X-Men ’97” will take part in a panel discussion. Also, there’s a costume contest, so cosplay is most enthusiastically encouraged. Plummer Park’s Fiesta Hall, 1166 N. Vista St., West Hollywood. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 15. Free. RSVP at qconprism.org
‘Fantasia’ Hippos and gators and centaurs, oh my! You get all that and Mickey Mouse, too, in Disney’s animated 1940 anthology set to the music of Bach, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, et al. Presented in 35mm. Vidiots Eagle Theatre, 4884 Eagle Rock Blvd., Highland Park. Noon Saturday, June 15. $9-$12. vidiotsfoundation.org
‘Symphony on the Go’ Members of Pacific Symphony perform a family-friendly chamber-music program to launch another summer of pop-up outdoor concerts. Cordova Park, 26931 El Retiro, Mission Viejo. 6:30 p.m. Sunday, June 16. Free. pacificsymphony.org
‘The Kid’ Director and star Charlie Chaplin’s beloved Little Tramp character raises a foundling in a Father’s Day screening of this poignant 1921 melodrama co-starring Jackie Coogan. Lumiere Music Hall Cinema, 9036 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. 2 p.m. Sunday, June 16. $16. retroformat.org
‘Dino Quest’ RAWR! The dinosaurs are back in an updated version of this exhibit featuring hands-on activities including a fossil excavation site. Discovery Cube Orange County, 2500 N. Main St., Santa Ana. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Included with museum admission ($17-$22). discoverycube.org
Butterfly Pavilion This exhibit featuring hundreds of butterflies flitting about in an outdoor netted enclosure returns for another season. Natural History Museum, 900 Exposition Blvd., Exposition Park, L.A. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily thru Aug. 25 (museum closed the first Tuesday of each month). $8 plus with museum admission ($8-$17; ages 2 and younger, free). nhm.org
‘Dining with the Sultan at Charles White Elementary School’ LACMA serves up a kid-sized companion to the exhibit “Dining with the Sultan: The Fine Art of Feasting.” Also included: monthly hands-on arts & crafts workshops (RSVP required). Charles White Elementary School, 2401 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. 1 to 4 p.m. Saturdays, thru Aug. 10. Free. lacma.org
Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ Princess Ariel ditches the ocean for love in this stage adaptation of the 1989 animated musical based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 1:30 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays thru June 29. $22-$129; discounts available; children under 3 not admitted. (562) 944-9801, (714) 994-6310. lamiradatheatre.com
‘Wild Things Are Happening: The Art of Maurice Sendak’ The beloved illustrator of such classic children’s books as “Where the Wild Things Are” is celebrated in this super-sized survey of paintings, drawings, toys and more; thru Sept. 1. Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., L.A. Closed Monday. $8-$13; 2 and under, free; free on Thursdays. (310) 440-4500. skirball.org