Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium Review

I originally was interested in Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium because I am a fan of Natalie Portman. When I picked it out for a family movie night, I was expecting a kid movie, but upon watching it, I was pleasantly surprised. Not only is Mr. Magorium's one of the most kid-friendly movies I have seen in the past few years, it has an original story and is just all-around well produced.

Being that this movie is about a toy store, I wasn't expecting much out of it. When I saw it had a G rating (very hard to find these days!), I must admit, I expected even less. In the end, however, this rating only testifies to the quality of this movie. Magorium's leaves out the (sometimes not so) subtle mature jokes that are so often included in "children's" movies these days in an attempt to keep parents and older audience members entertained (and which contribute to their PG ratings). The absence of these jokes does not detract from the film's entertainment value, but rather reminds us that it is possible to keep people's attention without crude "humor."

Another thing that sets this movie apart from the rest is its unique look. Unlike the all-too-similar comedies coming off the Disney assembly line, Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium is full of bright colors, and doesn't appear over-produced. Watching it is like stepping into a story book, and one actually begins to believe that a toy store can have a life of its own.

But don't think that Magorium's is simply a story about a toy store. Underneath the magic and wonder are themes of life, death, and growing (or never growing) up. Overall, Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium is a wonderful story that I would not be afraid to recommend to anyone with children of any age. Beautifully shot, poetically told, it makes us all want to believe in the magic.