Now You See It... (2005) (TV)

Director:

Duwayne Dunham

Writer (WGA):

Bill Fritz (written by)

Release Date:

14 January 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Mystery

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Magic | Secret | Magician | Friendship | Card Trick

Cast

Alyson Michalka	...	Allyson Miller
Johnny Pacar	...	Danny Sinclair
Frank Langella	...	Max
Brendan Hill	...	Cedric
Chris Olivero	...	Hunter
Gabriel Sunday	...	Brandon
Amanda Shaw	...	Zoey Cunningham
Deneen Tyler	...	Ms. McCallister (as Deneen D. Tyler)
Spike Spencer	...	Paul
Pat Hazell	...	Danny's Father
Andrea Ragsdale	...	Danny's Mother
Patricia French	...	Madame Susette
Stocker Fontelieu	...	Professor Maas
Don Brady	...	Doctor French
Chris van der Walt	...	Ryan Price

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:TV-G

Filming Locations:

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Evolution Film & Tape

Trivia:

A large portion of this movie was filmed in an abandoned bank in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: During the second task, Zoey Cunningham was lifting the ball on top of the cloth when she turns you can see the string that holds up the ball.

Quotes:

Danny Sinclair: No, I made it appear.

Soundtrack:

Do you believe in magic

What a great change

Now, the stereotypical Disney Channel movie is some "Hooray for everything!"-themed movie about a young girl/guy struggling to get through middle school/high school. This is still about a young boy (around 16) and a girl (same age) trying to help him master his magic.

Alyson Michalka doesn't stray far from her character on Phil of the Future with Alyson (wow, what a stretch with the name), perky, fun, and inquisitive. Yet her character in this movie has slightly more "oompf" than Keely.

Johnny Pacar is very good at portraying Danny, struggling to keep his powers secret and under control.

This movie strays slightly from the Disney Channel movie mold. It's a little more dark than past Disney movies, and I like the change. The writing is very good for a kid/teen movie, and the casting is done very well. The main idea of the movie is that Allyson (Michalka) is a teen producer on a new reality show trying to find the "World's Greatest Kid Magician." But all her prospects are a flop. Until she finds Danny (Pacar), that is. They move to the magic mansion, which leads to mystery, drama, and even betrayal. Well, as much betrayal as can be shown on the Disney Channel.

All in all, I commend Disney on at least trying to break out of their stereotypes with this movie. It's entertaining, and you should at least try to check it out. Michalka and Bacar have great on-screen friend chemistry, even in the beginning, when they're less than friends.

7/10