Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (2007)

Molly Mahoney is the awkward and insecure manager of Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, the strangest, most fantastic, most wonderful toy store in the world. But when Mr. Magorium, the 243 year-old eccentric who owns the store, bequeaths the store to her, a dark and ominous change begins to take over the once remarkable Emporium.

Director:

Zach Helm

Writer:

Zach Helm

Stars:

Ted Ludzik, Natalie Portman, Dustin Hoffman

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ted Ludzik	...	Bellini, the Bookbuilder
Natalie Portman	...	Molly Mahoney, the Composer
Zach Mills	...	Eric Applebaum, the Hat Collector
Dustin Hoffman	...	Mr. Edward Magorium, Avid Shoe-Wearer
Madalena Brancatella	...	Jessica, Who Got a Cowboy Hat
Paula Boudreau	...	Brenda, Who Wants a Mobile
Mike Realba	...	Dave Wolf, Who's an Engineer
Steve Whitmire	...	Kermit the Frog (voice)
Liam Powley-Webster	...	Andy, the Boy Who Likes to Color
Marcia Bennett	...	Lora, Who Wants a Fire Engine
Jason Bateman	...	Henry Weston, the Mutant
Oliver Masuda	...	Jordan, Who Said Hi
Samantha Harvey	...	Cassie, the Girl Chased by a Goose
Jesse Bostick	...	Derek, Who Opened the Door
Isaac Durnford	...	Jason, Who's a Little Too Curious

Storyline

Molly Mahoney is the manager of Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, the awesome toy store owned by Mr. Edward Magorium. Molly was a promising composer and piano player when she was a girl, and now she is a twenty-three year-old insecure woman that feels stuck in her job. Among the costumers of the Emporium is the lonely hat collector, Eric Applebaum, who has only Molly and Mr. Magorium for friends. When the last pair of shoes that Mr. Magorium bought in Toscana is worn, he hires the accountant, Henry Weston to adjust the accounts of the Emporium. Furthermore, he claims that he is two hundred and forty-three years old and his time to go has come; he gives a block of wood called Congreve cube to Molly and asks Henry to transfer the Emporium to her name. Molly tries to convince Mr. Magorium to stay in his magical toy store instead of "going".

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Plot Keywords:

toy store | composer | hat | accountant | piano | 

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Taglines:

Where Toys Come To Life! (DVD)

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Metropolitan Films [fr] Official site [de]

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 November 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Loja Mágica de Brinquedos

Filming Locations:

Cinespace Film Studios, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£459,734 (UK) (14 December 2007)

Gross:

$32,059,442 (USA) (7 March 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mandate Pictures, Walden Media, FilmColony

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Natalie Portman learned to play the piano for her role.

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Goofs

The length of Natalie Portman's hair changes inconsistently throughout the movie. Dramatic differences can be noted during the hospital scene where in various shots it appears at both it's shortest and longest.

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Quotes

[from trailer]
Henry Weston: How can a store throw a temper tantrum?
Mr. Edward Magorium: It's a magical toystore, it can do all sorts of things.

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Crazy Credits

Near the end of the credits, Mr. Magorium appears painting a picture with a little boy watching him.

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Connections

References True Stories (1986)

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Soundtracks

"Love the World You Find"
Written by The Flaming Lips
Performed by The Flaming Lips
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records, Inc.
By Arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing

User Reviews

MOMS: Great movie, but toddlers and husbands will be bored

My husband and I brought our 4 year old daughter to see this movie last night. We'd already seen (and ADORED) THE BEE MOVIE, and nothing else seemed age appropriate. Despite horrible reviews, we gave it a shot.

I loved this movie. It's not often that a kid's movie can move me to tears, but this one had a powerful (yet simple) message...LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE OF IT.

My daughter was bored to the point of BEGGING us to leave. This from a kid who sees movie-going as the ultimate treat. While it was visually stimulating overall, there could have been more in the way of special effects.

Jason Bateman was surprisingly good in his role as the accounting mutant. Some of the most moving moments in the film were created by little more than the expression on his face.

Natalie Portman was radiant and lovable and...androgynous? ;) She could easily have been mistaken for a thirteen year old boy throughout most of the film, to the point where it seemed that she had her chest bound up to appear that way. But it's not about the boobies, and it's not a romantic love story, which I greatly appreciated.

No sex. No violence. No profanity. My husband hated it.

There is love...lots of love. Pure love. The kind of love you feel when you're a child, and your mind has not yet been bogged down with the soul-crushing stress of adult responsibility.

This movie is a nice kick-in-the-pants for anybody who needs to be reminded that you don't have to be a kid to see the potential in yourself and the world around you. You just have to relax a little and believe in magic.