28 March 2026
- 11:30 to 12:30
- 13:30 to 14:30
Family activity
The Enchanted Cinema
Embark on a cinematic adventure and help bring classic animated films to life as part of a family orchestra.
- Date
- 28 March 2026
- Location
- The National Archives, Kew
100 years of hand-drawn animation come to life with live scores and sound FX created by a family pop-up orchestra lead by The Enchanted Cinema, featuring My Neighbour Totoro, The Adventures of Prince Achmed and The Illusionist.
Professional musicians lead children and adults to become an orchestra creating the sound effects and music from these much-loved animated classics using instruments, hands and voices.
Start with a warm-up using hands and voices, before children and adults team up with instruments – turtle drums, lyre harp, zaphir chimes, gong, bird flutes, ocarinas and bamboo canes – to create a live score.
Event details
Dates for this event
Plan your visit
What is The National Archives?
The National Archives is the official archive of the UK government, and England and Wales. We are the guardians of over 1,000 years of iconic national documents.
Everyone is welcome to visit our headquarters in Kew. We put on exhibitions, events and displays and offer reading rooms giving access to our collections there.
Getting here
The National Archives is located by the River Thames in Kew, 30 minutes from Central London. We offer advice on travelling to us by car, bike, train or bus.
Children and families
We provide a warm welcome to visitors of all ages, including children and family groups.
- Free activity sheets (for ages 1+) are available from the Time Travel Club trolley in our entrance hall
- Our café is child-friendly and there are picnic benches outside
- Prams and buggies are welcome, and we have a buggy park
- Baby changing facilities are located by our entrance hall, at the top of the main stairs, and in the library
- Emergency supplies of nappies and wipes are available
