Search - Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (Full Screen Edition) on DVD

Gayle D. from USAF ACADEMY, CO
Reviewed on 3/18/2010...

My 7 year old sister loved the imagination in it, she talked about it with me on the phone for a half an hour. So it's a hit with her age group. I watched it and it was a fun movie.

Ann M.
Reviewed on 2/16/2010...

Movie starts out with hints, then confirmation that Mr. Magorium was about to "retire". We learn that actually, he was not to retire so much as "die" after a couple centuries of being alive and because he was running out of new pairs of his favorite shoes which he'd stocked up many moons ago. Obviously, Mr. Magorium was magical in nature as was his thinking, breathing toy store. Natalie Portman played an employee at the store who was an aspiring pianist, but had "settled" with "just" being a salesperson at the toy store. Mr. M wanted her to take-over, but she resists. Other characters included a loner boy who'd rather hang out at the store than play with kids his own age. And the accountant, who saw everything in terms of numbers and missed the magic of the place until later.

This movie was sluggish from the get go. I really wanted to be sucked into this magical world of living toys, and to revisit my youth through the movie, but I felt more like a distant spectator looking thru an observation window. I never could relate to any of the characters. The sequence from scene to scene was poorly connected, and the flow seemed obstructed. I squirmed a lot wanting to do something less boring than watching this movie. My kids liked the special effects, but I could tell their enthusiasm started and ended there. Portman's resistance to owning the store was not well explained. I can see sorta, why she resisted, but the intensity of her inner struggle was not well expressed. I would say 3-stars at the most, for the special effects, the story gets a D-grade.

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Joven Q.
Reviewed on 11/10/2009...

Family favorite ! loved it !

1 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

The Parable of the toy store

Tim Lasiuta | Red Deer, Alberta | 02/29/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium: Truly Wonderous!

It is a rare film that holds your attention hours after you see the credits roll. Mr Magorium is that, and more. It is, at its' core, a modern day parable that speaks to the power and magic of faith.

On the surface, Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporioum is a toy store for the ages. The children come into play in brightly lit corners stacked high with toys, games, books, and models. Rockets fly around the ceiling. A magical ball room transforms itself into an upstairs suite with the twist of a knob. The life of the store is reflected in the joy of the children and parents who enter the doors.

Mr Edward Magorium is dying. 243 years old, and his shoes are finally wearing out. As he explains to his assistant, Molly Mahoney, his last pair of shoes is wearing out and he knows that when they do, he will die. To prepare for the event, he hires an accountant, Henry Weston, to evaluate the value of the store and the contents. Magorium, names him Mutant, and throughout the whole film, Henry discovers the oddities that define a 200 year old man. $300,000 for a door knob (I've never paid more than $250,000). An IOU from the Thomas Edison. Century old toys. And a book keeping system that defies logic and belief. It's almost too much for a trained Mutant to bear!



Like a living being, the toy store ebbs and moves. Cracks appear on the walls. The life within the toys wanes and the atmosphere is less magical. A young assistant, Eric Applebaum,

On the passing of Mr Magorium, the store 'dies' as well. But not before he presents a gift to Molly of a large block presumably possessing magical powers. Unable to sustain the life of the store and business flow, Molly closes and prepares to sell much to the disappointment of Eric Applebaum, the young hat collector who works at the store.



When all is darkest, and Molly's dream of finishing her grand masterpiece, she discovers the missing piece to the puzzle. When all is dark, and she is about to sign the store over, she discovers the magic behind the emporium.



"Move" "Move" "Fly...." is all that is required when her journey to joy takes flight as her faith is renewed and the toy store explodes! In one broad stroke, he symphony is complete, and the deadened toy store comes to life once more.



I said before this is a modern day parable, and I believe it is. Beneath the toys lies the truth of the mustard seed. "If I have faith as a mustard seed, I could say to the mountain, move, and it shall MOVE!" And it does.



There are other themes too. Joy in the journey. Youth. Living life to its' fullest. Passing on of our faith. Mourning.



Dustin Hoffman and Natalie Portman are wonderfully cast in this film. The `mutant', Justin Bateman, plays a perfect straight man.



This is a true family film that is not fluff. Talk about it. Watch it together. Share it. That's what the `parable of the toy store' is all about.



Tim Lasiuta

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