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:

Natalie Portman, Dustin Hoffman, Jason Bateman

3 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 who 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:

kermit the frog character | emporium | toy store | eccentric | 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

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

Budget:

$65,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,630,085, 18 November 2007

Gross USA:

$32,061,555

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$69,474,661

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

Zack Helm admitted to being unhappy with the way the movie eventually turned out, calling it "a trainwreck".

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Goofs

When Mr. Magorium asks Henry to name the Fibonacci series from its 11th to 16th integer at 17:15, Henry should name 6 integers, but only names 5. The 5 he names are the 12th to 16th integers of the Fibonacci series. He leaves out the 11th integer - 55.

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Quotes

Mr. Edward Magorium: Pretty impressive ball isn't it? Impossible to dodge.

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Crazy Credits

During the end credits, unusual titles describe the various groups that worked on the film: "People In The Movie" (cast), "People Who Helped Make The Movie" (producers, post-production), "People Who Followed People With The Camera" (cinematographer, camera operators), "People Who Created Things That Were There" (art/props department), "People Who Put Clothes On People" (costume department), "People Who Recorded People Talking" (sound department), "People Who Made People Look Good" (make-up), "People Who Made Sure We Paid People" (accountants), "People Who Put Stuff In The Right Order" (editors), "People Who Created Things That Weren't There" (visual effects), "More Crew". People Who Made The Tunes Very Special Thanks And More Thanks

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Connections

References Good Burger (1997)

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Soundtracks

Don't Be Shy
Written by Cat Stevens (as Yusuf Islam)
Performed by Cat Stevens
Courtesy of Universal-Island Records Ltd.
Under License from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Believe In Yourself and the Magic Happens

Molly Mahoney (Natalie Portman) is the manager of Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, the awesome toy store owned by Mr. Edward Magorium (Dustin Hoffman). 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 (Zach Mills), who has only Molly and Mr. Magorium as friends. When the last pair of shoes that Mr. Magorium bought in Toscana is worn, he hires the accountant Henry Weston (Jason Bateman) that he calls Mutant to adjust the accounts of the Emporium. Further, he claims that he is two hundred and forty-three year 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".

"Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" is a pleasant fantasy with a positive message that anything can happen, even magic, when you believe in yourself. The ambiguous story told by Eric may be metaphorically interpreted by the adults or just be seen as a magical toy store by the kids and the result is equally good. The sweet Natalie Portman is perfectly cast in the role of Molly, but Dustin Hoffman plays a quite boring Mr. Magorium. The special effects are amazing. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "A Loja Mágica de Brinquedos" ("The Magical Toy Store")