We contacted Alex to find out more about this activity for him and his daughter. The photographer shared that he joined Instagram years ago because it was what the internet told him he was supposed to do and it was the only way the man could make sure his photos look like “cool old Polaroids”. “I think I accidentally posted a pic or two on it and then the account sat dormant for years gathering dust (and no likes). I started posting pics of the movie recreations in early April 2020 – shortly after the start of the lockdown.”

Alex revealed how he came up with the idea to do the fun playtime: “It was about three weeks in quarantine. It was still pretty cold outside and everything was shut down. I was at home with two little kids trying to fill up the day with activities but only really filling about 35 minutes of the day.At one point we were in the living room hanging out and my daughter Matilda climbed on an old plastic car (cozy coupe) and started I ignored all my parental instincts worried for his safety and well-being and instead recalled the iconic scene from “Teen Wolf” where Mike J Fox surfs Stiles’ van. I showed him how to play air guitar (she was only four and a half) and I begged her to let me take a picture. She came to me in a flash. It’s basically like when Newton was inspired to formulate the theory of gravity by watching an apple fall from a tree.

“I guess that’s a long way of saying I started the account so I wouldn’t lose my mind being stuck at home with my kids. I’m a state attorney by trade. I’m in charge of arson investigations I don’t know anything about photography.

I have a friend named Andrew Kelly who is a photographer. He lives in Colorado – so he zooms in and directs me remotely on how to set up all the plans. It’s tedious and technical so we used the stuffed fox (blue ears with white dots) as Mathilde’s replacement. She was 4 years old and wasn’t going to sit down while we were fixing the lighting and the angle.”

Matilda’s following has grown significantly since the family began. “At first I thought we would have friends and family following and liking the photos. It was a shock when absolute strangers started following. It’s very cool. It’s exciting. Only absolute strangers like something we only thought we’d find funny. The type of subscribers hasn’t changed – it’s people who are excited to see scenes from famous movies they like turned into kid-friendly ones.

“It’s difficult because I have no talent as a photographer, I have no equipment, I lack props, and Matilda’s attention can only be extended so far, even with the promise of a superb LOL doll.

We’re looking for scenes that are iconic enough for people to instantly recognize, but that don’t require too much “playing” on Matilda’s part, or too much preparation on my part. So if you can think of any iconic movie footage where a character is either: still, smiling, or asleep, let me know. That being said, I think we have an obligation to tackle the big dogs like ‘Ghostbusters’ and ‘Point Break’.”

“Matilda is in the final product. And it exposed her to a lot of 80s movies that she might never have seen. Her favorite Christmas movie is ‘Gremlins’ because of that project. She has brought the finished photos into the show and tell this year and it was my proudest moment.

Matilda’s favorite recreation was “The Bridesmaids.” Man, she kept that $16 Amazon wedding dress for two days straight. She rode her bike all day in this thing. He is now shredded downstairs after getting caught in the rays.

My wife helps with the hair and makeup and the sets take about two weeks to build more or less depending on the scene. My mother-in-law is good at sewing, so she made a ridiculous amount of costumes for it. It really is a family project.”