Since the release of the book “The Magician’s Elephant” in 2009, many hearts have been captivated by the children’s tale full of faith and hope. Now, years later, it has been created into a movie that was released on March 17. It has a fun cast full of recognizable characters such as Noah Jupe, Benedict Wong and Mandy Patinkin, who take you along to a tale of a young boy who tries to find his sister that is presumed to be dead. 

“The Magician’s Elephant” follows a young boy, Peter (Noah Jupe), who has a strict upbringing and wants to find his sister. He was told to “follow the elephant” by a mysterious fortune teller (Natasia Demetriou). This leads him on a journey to do the impossible that not only shows his hope for the things he believes in, but he also spreads the hope himself. This leads to massive transformations, both physical and mental, within the town (Baltese) and the people within it. 

This tale was such a moving story that I never would have expected. I had very low expectations going into the movie because it’s a children’s book that I read often when I was a child — I was proven very wrong. From the opening scenes I could tell that it was very well thought out. The animation is like nothing I’ve seen before. It looks like a mix of claymation and the classic Disney style. The colors were spot on, with variation of vibrancy based on emotions and plot. 

Not only was the animation on point, but the voices fit the characters personality perfectly. Noah Jupe voiced over the young boy, Peter, and he did a spectacular job. His British accent tied perfectly into the quaint colorful town of Baltese. Not only does Peter’s voice fit perfectly into his character, but the Fortune Teller’s voice did a wonderful job captivating the mysterious nature that she exudes. The enigmatic nature that her voice presents leaves you wanting to know more about the story.

The storyline was incredibly captivating and swift moving. The animation and voicing did an incredible job keeping my attention but the story took the show because it held a massive sense of nostalgia and wonderment. A common theme throughout the movie is having hope for the world and the people that surround you. It felt like I was back in my childhood with a carefree heart and belief in the optimism of the world. Not only was the hope refreshing to watch, but it did an amazing job at capturing my focus. I’ve noticed that I often drift away from movies and “The Magician’s Elephant” did anything but that. It wasn’t drawn out and had swift but smooth transitions which kept me captivated within the story. 

One thing that I didn’t quite like, was that at moments I felt like the animation did not capture the magic that they were speaking of. At times they were speaking of great magic powered by hope, and the scenes did not reflect that alluring enchantment that the people said they felt. 

Other than the singular fault, this movie does a sensational job of capturing the childish sense of hope and wonderment. It would be the perfect wind down after a long day as it will leave you feeling full of faith and hope.

“The Magician’s Elephant:” ★★★★☆