fig96 said:
How is it different than buying tickets for any other film you'd want to get good seats for? I also wouldn't call this one a kids movie (which is another animation discussion I won't get into), it's got a lot more appeal to a broad audience.
It's definitely a crowded box office in December, but I do think this will outperform the estimates.
It's a cartoon. It will be viewed as a kids movie until advertising or word of mouth says otherwise. I don't think most families buy tickets to kids movies early, because kids movies aren't about getting good seats. They are about killing a couple hours and getting away from your in-laws over the holidays.