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The Magician's Elephant (film)

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The Magician's Elephant
Official release poster
Directed byWendy Rogers
Screenplay byMartin Hynes
Based onThe Magician's Elephant
by Kate DiCamillo
Produced byJulia Pistor
Starring
Edited byRobert Fisher Jr.
Music byMark Mothersbaugh
Production
companies
Pistor Productions
Netflix Animation
Distributed byNetflix
Release date
  • March 17, 2023 (2023-03-17)
Running time
100 minutes[1]
CountriesUnited States
Australia
LanguageEnglish

The Magician's Elephant is a 2023 animated fantasy adventure film directed by Wendy Rogers, written by Martin Hynes and produced by Julia Pistor. Based on the 2009 novel by Kate DiCamillo, the film features the voices of Noah Jupe, Mandy Patinkin, Natasia Demetriou, Benedict Wong, Miranda Richardson and Aasif Mandvi. Animated by Animal Logic, the film was distributed by Netflix and released on March 17, 2023.

Plot

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After the war, Baltese lost hope in magic and warmth, focusing on domestic animals. Peter (Noah Jupe), an orphan raised by soldier Vilna Lutz, approaches a fortune teller out of curiosity. Vilna had sent Peter to buy bread and fish, training him for war to boost his survival chances. Vilna saved Peter from the front after his family was killed and raised him to endure war's harshest conditions.

Vilna felt guilty for not saving Peter's sister, Adele, and lied about her death. A bomb led him to believe they were gone. Peter never searched for her, thinking she was dead. Vilna believed hope would hinder Peter as a soldier. Peter, curious about the Fortune Teller, learned that Adele was alive, and to find her, he must follow the elephant.

A magician accidentally summoned an elephant during an opera. This act was meant to restore hope, but it led to chaos when the elephant injured a noblewoman. The elephant’s arrival brought joy to a boy searching for his sister.

Adele was raised by her nurse, Sister Marie, who traveled to the army camp after Vilna's words but found it destroyed by a bomb. Sister Marie took Adele to the outskirts for safety. She shared Vilna's guilt, constantly reminded of letting Peter go and wishing she had saved them. She loved Adele and granted her wish to visit the elephant, viewing her as a sign of hope.

Peter seeks to rescue a locked elephant to find his sister, with help from neighbor Leo Matiennel. The Countess fears releasing the elephant due to potential threats. The King gives Peter three tasks, starting with defeating Romain De Smedt. Peter retrieves a stolen book, wins Romain over, and inspires him.

Peter's second task was to fly using Leo and Gloria's parachute. He impressed the King and then tried to make the Countess laugh after her brother's death. His joke failed, but she fake-laughed, so the King stayed out of it. When an elephant sneezed on the King, the Countess laughed genuinely, making the King smile and declare Peter the winner.

Peter initially wanted to use the elephant to find Adele but then chose to help the elephant find her family instead. He cared for her deeply. After losing ownership, he wished for her to return to her habitat. The elephant symbolized the town’s lost trust. The Countess laughed after her grief, signaling her emotional recovery. The magician struggled due to the townspeople's disbelief, but eventually gained their trust and successfully sent the elephant home.

Adele met her brother Peter, who struggled to make the Countess laugh, revealing familiarity. She asked why he let the elephant go, as he was meant to follow her. Its disappearance lifted the town's curse and gave hope. Vilna, inspired, left his wheelchair to walk with a cane. Proud, he met Sister Marie, believed dead with baby Adele. Shocked to find Peter and Vilna alive, they reunited, ending a long war that caused the town to forget how to feel. This lifted Baltese's gloom. The story ends happily with Peter, Adele, and their new family enjoying a meal amidst joy and laughter.

Voice cast

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Production

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On August 17, 2009, 20th Century Fox announced that Martin Hynes would adapt a novel titled The Magician's Elephant, which was yet to be released, into a feature film.[3] In that same announcement, former Nickelodeon Movies producer Julia Pistor was also confirmed as the producer of the film.[4] On December 15, 2020, after languishing into development hell for a number of years, it was announced that Pistor had taken the property to Netflix who acquired the film rights to the book and screenplay to develop the animated feature film, with Animal Logic in Sydney working on the animation. In the same announcement, Noah Jupe, Benedict Wong, Pixie Davies, Sian Clifford, Brian Tyree Henry, Mandy Patinkin, Natasia Demetriou, Aasif Mandvi, Miranda Richardson, and Kirby Howell-Baptiste were all cast to star in the film.[5]

Release

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The Magician's Elephant was released on March 17, 2023.[6]

Reception

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 67% of 37 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.5/10. The website's consensus reads: "Always well-intentioned and once-in-a-blue-moon compelling, The Magician's Elephant is an adaptation with a message about believing in yourself unveiled with more whimsy than magic."[7] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 53 out of 100, based on seven critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[8]

References

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  1. ^ "The Magician's Elephant". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on February 16, 2023. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Giardina, Carolyn (December 15, 2020). "The Magician's Elephant Animated Feature In the Works at Netflix". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  3. ^ Sciretta, Peter (August 17, 2009). "Martin Hynes to Direct The Magician's Elephant". /Film. Archived from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  4. ^ McNary, Dave (August 17, 2009). "Fox rides Elephant". Variety. Archived from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  5. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (December 15, 2020). "Noah Jupe, Benedict Wong, Pixie Davies, Sian Clifford, Brian Tyree Henry & Mandy Patinkin Among All-Star Voice Cast For Netflix Animation The Magician's Elephant". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  6. ^ Grobar, Matt (January 18, 2023). "Netflix 2023 Film Slate Unveiled: Luther: The Fallen Sun, The Mother, Extraction 2, Heart Of Stone, The Killer, Rebel Moon & Others Get Premiere Dates". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on January 18, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  7. ^ "The Magician's Elephant". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  8. ^ "The Magician's Elephant Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
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