The premiere of Lithuania’s first interactive cinema performance for families, “Kakė Makė and the Mysterious Gift,” attracted well-known Lithuanian families, influencers, and hundreds of young Kakė Makė fans and their parents.
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Among them were Liucina Rimgailė with her son Oskaras, pianist Ieva Dūdaitė-Radžiūnė with her daughter Marija, stylist and influencer Vaida Gudonytė with her family, Greta Meschino with her son Santiago, businesswoman Natalija Kurganovė with her daughter, and influencer Gabija Vyšniauskaitė with her daughter Olivija.
Children came carrying drawings
The cinema hall was full of emotions even before the film began. The biggest surprise of the evening for the children was the unexpected appearance of Kakė Makė in the hall. As soon as the children’s beloved heroine came to them and started waving to the gathered audience, the hall erupted in shouts – the little ones loudly chanted Kakė Makė’s name, waved, invited her closer, and the bravest rushed to the stage to touch Kakė Makė, give her gifts, and dance together.
A particularly touching moment was a gift from one girl – a hand-drawn picture that she gave to her beloved heroine. At that moment, other children in the hall showed off their Kakė Makė toys, books, and merchandise, wanting to express their love for the heroine.
“Kakė Makė, this is my drawing!” shouted one girl, rushing to the stage as soon as the children’s favorite heroine unexpectedly appeared in the hall.
This interactive cinema performance is the opposite of any film. The hall was not filled with the usual cinema atmosphere, but a real children’s celebration, where the audience became not observers, but the truest participants in the performance.
Parents couldn’t hide their smiles and captured moments on their phones as their children met one of Lithuania’s most beloved children’s characters live.
Liucina Rimgailė: “Such events are always engaging”
Liucina Rimgailė, who attended the premiere, said that such events are very necessary for children and leave a great impression. “Kakė Makė is a real evening ritual in our home. Every evening we read these fairy tales, which we already know by heart. By the way, all Kakė Makė products work great too – sometimes they even help persuade a child to eat,” she said with a smile.
Liucina admitted that she usually reads fairy tales to her child herself, unless she is away, so the world of Kakė Makė is very familiar to their family.
“This performance is great entertainment. Kakė Makė events and performances always engage children; they willingly get involved in the action and take away many good emotions,” she said.
Speaking about summer plans, L. Rimgailė stated that the family intends to spend more time in Lithuania and enjoy the good weather. “We want to go to the lakes, spend time in nature, so we can only hope that the weather will spoil us all.
However, children always need activities and impressions, so parents have to plan at least minimally what we will do. But it is no less important to let children get bored – that’s when they often come up with the most interesting activities,” she is convinced.
Greta Meschino: “This performance is a great gift”
Greta Meschino, for her part, admitted that she was fascinated by the idea of the interactive cinema performance and did not hide that the world of Kakė Makė holds a special place in their family.
“Kakė Makė always manages to surprise and charm, so this performance is a great gift for us. My son loves these fairy tales; we read them before bed. We also have other traditions that we cherish with our son.
We like to go shopping together, on weekends he loves to potter around in the kitchen – he cuts fruit, willingly gets involved in various household chores. It’s important to me that the child is part of everyday life, not just an observer,” she said.
Ieva Dūdaitė’s daughter – a special evening
Ieva Dūdaitė, who came to the premiere with her daughter Marija, said that this evening was special and full of emotions for the little one.
“Marija was very surprised to see the real Kakė Makė. When she saw her sparkling eyes on the big screen, she immediately said: ‘Mom, her eyes are as blue as mine – we’re similar!’ It was a very touching moment,” I. Dūdaitė smiled.
According to her, her daughter had been looking forward to the premiere all week and constantly counted the days until the event. “She kept asking: ‘Mom, when?’ She was very impatient. She liked the dances and all the action, but most of all she was looking forward to the start of the premiere itself and meeting Kakė Makė,” the pianist said.
I. Dūdaitė did not hide that she herself found it particularly beautiful to watch her daughter grow up with her beloved character. “It makes me so happy to see Marija growing up with Kakė Makė,” she joked.
Double celebration in Vaida Gudonytė’s family
Among the premiere guests was stylist and influencer Vaida Gudonytė. Interviewed before the performance began, she said that their family had prepared for this day not only for the meeting with Kakė Makė – there was another special occasion in the family.
“Today is Ado’s graduation from kindergarten, so the mood in our family is special. My son was really looking forward to this evening and talked all day about finally seeing Kakė Makė live.
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Such experiences stay with children for a long time, so it’s great to be here together and see so many joyful emotions,” said V. Gudonytė.
According to her, such events give families the opportunity not only to have fun but also to create shared memories that stay with children long after the event ends.
Premiere – renewed Kakė Makė 3D world
During the premiere, the audience also saw the renewed world of Kakė Makė. Newly recreated 3D characters appeared on the big screen: Kakė Makė, Messy Dwarf, Mamaisa and Nanaisa, Mom, Dad, and the dog Čiūčia.
This world update is part of a broader “Kakė Makė” and “Nelly Jelly” development, created in collaboration with the British studio “3Megos” and an international creative team, including Emmy-winning professionals.
One of the most striking moments of the evening was the presentation of the new music video for the song “Vasara – Pasaka” (Summer – Fairy Tale). The previous music video for this song accumulated about 12 million views on YouTube over six years and became an inseparable part of many children’s summer memories.
Children need a live connection
According to Simona Krasauskienė, head of the “Kakė Makė” and “Nelly Jelly” development team, the premiere clearly showed that for modern children, it is important not only to watch content but to experience it.
“This evening clearly showed us that children need not only a screen but also a live connection. They want to be noticed, they want to participate, answer, sing, move, help the heroes, and feel that the story is happening with them. That’s why we created this format – we wanted the cinema hall to become a safe, joyful space where the family experiences an adventure together,” says S. Krasauskienė.
As the team leader says, Kakė Makė has long ceased to be just a character in books – it is an entire world of childhood that today lives in music, on the YouTube platform, in performances, educational content, in families’ daily lives, and now in a new cinema experience format.
“It is important for us to expand this universe responsibly, so that every new step is safe, understandable, engaging, and creates real value for children,” states S. Krasauskienė.
Notices changing family habits
Sandra Kalėdienė, brand manager of Kakė Makė, says that the idea for this format was born by observing how children’s and families’ leisure habits are changing.
“We wanted to create not just another cinema screening, but a real family event. For young children, it is very important not only to see the story on screen but also to experience it: to sing along, react, move, laugh, help Kakė Makė, and leave the cinema hall with the feeling – ‘I was part of this story’,” says S. Kalėdienė.
According to her, children’s reactions best show why such a format is relevant today.
“Children quickly understood that here you can not only sit quietly and watch the screen. They danced, sang, laughed, tried to help Kakė Makė. This is precisely what shows that the cinema hall can become not only a place for content viewing but also a place for a shared family adventure,” states S. Kalėdienė.
This is an experience for the whole family
The creators say that this cinema performance responds to the growing global trend of “event cinema,” where the cinema hall becomes not just a place to watch content, but a space to experience a shared emotion.
“Kakė Makė and the Mysterious Gift” adapts this trend for the youngest viewers and their families – here, children are invited not to sit quietly, but to react, sing, move, and be part of the story.
“The cultural experience of young children is always a family experience, so it was important for us to think not only about what the child would see, but also about what the family would experience together.
We want them to leave the cinema hall with a shared memory – with a song, laughter, emotion, and the feeling that they were all part of this story,” says S. Kalėdienė.
The performance will tour Lithuania for a limited time
After the emotion-filled premiere in Vilnius, “Kakė Makė and the Mysterious Gift” embarks on a journey to other Lithuanian cities. For a limited time, special screenings will take place in “Forum Cinemas” movie theaters in Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, and Šiauliai.
On Friday evening, the children left the cinema hall still humming the song “Vasara – Pasaka.” The creators have no doubt that this is only the first stop for Kakė Makė this summer, soon to reach families in other Lithuanian cities.
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