Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (2007)

The young apprentice of a magical, eccentric toy store owner learns to believe in herself, and in her friends, upon learning some grave news about the future.

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 | genius | toymaker | whimsical | inventor | 

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Taglines:

If you don't believe . . . You will.

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Drew Barrymore was originally cast as Molly Mahoney.

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Goofs

When Mr Magorium and Mahoney are dancing in the park and Mahoney rolls out a sheet of bubble wrap we clearly see there is nothing on it. In the next shot of the sheet we can see rocks holding down the corners, which then disappear again.

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Quotes

Mr. Edward Magorium: I've hired an accountant.
Molly Mahoney: A what?
Mr. Edward Magorium: An accountant. According to the word, it must be a cross between a counter and a mutant and that may be precisely what we need.

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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

Referenced in Frank TV: Money in the Frank (2007)

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Soundtracks

Jennifer Juniper
Written by Donovan (as Donovan Leitch)

User Reviews

How Sad For You If You Were Bored

I will admit to being surprised at how many people claimed that this lighthearted tale was a snoozer. If you or your children were bored, how sad for you. While this is not action-packed nor animated, it's filled with subtly delightful moments and a sense of whimsy. Unfortunately these qualities are lost on the those who are so conditioned for immediate gratification and messages that are as subtle as a flying brick. Well, too bad for you.

While far from a cinematic masterpiece, my family and I found this thoroughly enjoyable. Dustin Hoffman is a master at fully inhabiting a character and making you believe that he *is* that person. Portman was less than captivating, strangely, and Bateman was a bit wooden. The performance from Zach Mills was terrific, however. And the store was a place I would have spent a lot of time in as a boy.

And speaking as a husband and father of two, I was not bored at any point during this movie. And I'm a pretty typical red-blooded-sports-fanatic American male. I just haven't lost my ability to enjoy a flight of fantasy every once in a while.

Give this movie a chance if you've got any sense of magic left inside of you.

Oh, and to "luckyunicorn" who took umbrage with the line "You just have to believe in yourself", questioning "Who talks like this?", I would have you know that I say this to my girls all the time. Because it's the truth.

Details

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 November 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium

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